Orphan
by GuyYouMetOnline
Summary: Orphan, a young woman with no memory, makes her way to Gensokyo in search of her lost past. But Gensokyo is experiencing events the likes of which it has never before seen, and Orphan soon finds herself caught up in something she did not expect.
1. Chapter 1: Search

**Chapter 1  
**_Search_

Many women would be nervous about approaching an unknown man, especially in the middle of the woods with nobody else around. I was not. If he had harmful intentions, he would find that targeting me was a mistake. But the middle-aged man I was approaching did not, I belived, have harmful intentions.

"Good day to you," the man said as we met on the trail, him on the way out and myself on the way in. "Visiting the shrine, I take it."

"I am. I assume you've done the same thing."

"I have," he said. "I like to come here every couple of weeks or so. It's… relaxing, being out here. Away from the big cities."

"Understandable," I said. "I've never been comfortable in the cities, myself."

"Many people feel that way. But there's more to it for me, I think. The mikos… well, I've always felt like they still have something most people have lost. A… connection with the world around them, perhaps. A lot of them haven't 'modernized' to nearly the same extent as much of the world. And they still live among nature. And they also have a certain… spirituality, I think. A sense of the greatness of the universe unimpeded by the 'faith' that causes so much trouble."

"I think the world could use more faith, actually."

The man laughed. "We've got too much faith as it is. Religion is the greatest cause of human violence. It's been that way all throughout history."

"That is not what I mean by faith," I said. "I am not talking about belief in some almighty god-an idea that's always seemed ridiculous to me, anyways. I've always favored a so-called 'polytheistic' view myself. But even then, I am not talking about believing in gods. I'm talking about confidence, about trust. To have faith in someone is to trust them completely. But more important is having faith in yourself."

"I don't know if I'd call that 'faith', but whatever you call it, you may be right. Although confidence can be… problematic."

"Not proper confidence. Overconfidence, absolute self-assurance, those can be bad, but true, actual confidence is not."

"I suppose not," the man said. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. It was nice meeting you." He started away, then turned back to me. "I never got your name, did I? I'm Junpei Usami. May I have your name?"

"Call me Orphan."

* * *

_I awoke in the middle of the woods. My clothing was ripped and torn in many places, my body was beaten, and I was in pain. But most important is the fact that when I awoke, I had no memory._

_That was five years ago, and it remains the oldest memory I have. I've had no memory loss since then, but everything before is a total blank. I don't know who I am. I don't know where I lived. I don't know how I've lived. I don't know my name. Finding myself a girl with no past, I took the name Orphan._

_On that day five years ago, I was found by a group of campers. They offered to let me come with them, but I declined. The pain had faded by then, and what true injuries I'd had were healing rapidly, healing at a rate that I now know is much faster than normal-although I am hardly 'normal'. Anyways, I thanked them for their offer, but I declined it and left on my own. I had no need for the trappings of 'civilization'; what little I need, I get from the land._

_I actually ran into one of those campers a few days ago. He did indeed recognize me, and told me I'd become a 'fine-looking young woman'-which, even if it's true, does not concern me. Anyways, I wasn't surprised that the man recognized me even though we'd only met that one time. By now, I've gotten used to people remembering me. Even people who only caught sight of me for an instant tend to recognize me. I think it's the hat._

_I was wearing the hat when I woke up in the woods five years ago; it was the only thing I was wearing that wasn't damaged in some way. Whenever I think about it, I get the sense that it's… important to me, that it means something to me. I think it was a gift, something I was given by someone I was close to. Some part of me remembers that it's important to me. And the hat is not the only thing from which I've felt vague remnants of memories. I have a similar, though different, feeling in regards to the power I have._

_I am the only one who knows of my power. The campers saw minor examples of it, and did not recognize that I was actually doing anything. But from that, I realized that such abilities are not 'normal'. And experiences since then only served to confirm this. There may be others in the world with such powers, but if so, they keep their powers as secret as I keep mine._

_Living in the wilderness, I had very little worry of people stumbling upon me-and if they did, I could feel them coming, feel them walking upon the land. Even if someone did come, I would know they were coming. Such solitude didn't really bother me; besides, it did have its advantages. I was able to use my power without worry that someone would see me doing so. I would know someone was coming well before they could get close enough to witness it._

_I felt that exploring my power, mastering it, might give me some clue as to who I am. So I did so. And although such powers are unknown to 'normal' humans, there was something in human society that aided me in doing so. The practice of what is known as 'martial arts' is well-known throughout the world, but it is commonly misunderstood. Popular culture often portrays it as merely methods of unarmed combat, but there is much, much more to it than that-although I won't deny that the combat techniques are useful to know, but I'll get into that later. Anyways, what drew my attention to the martial arts was the emphasis on self-discipline._

_I don't know if I can explain this is a manner that 'normal' humans can understand; what I did in pursuit of the mastery of my power, and in fact much related to my power, is completely outside of 'normal' human understanding. It did, I can say, involve going deep within myself, although what I mean by that is undoubtedly lost on 'normal' humans. Anyways, that is where the self-discipline comes in. I could not have succeeded without it._

_Although I was able to develop and master my abilities, it became clear as I progressed that doing so was not likely to aid me in figuring out who I am. I did not let this stop me from achieving mastery of my power, but as I went along, I became increasingly certain that although I did have power before, the power I had then is different from the power I have now. I don't know why such a thing would be true-although I would assume it's related to whatever happened to me- but I am certain of it._

_At this point, you are most likely wondering what power I have. I don't know what power I had before, but as for the power I have now, well, I am… attuned to the energies of the world, of the land and the sea. To what many 'normal' humans would call 'energies of nature', although the level of inaccuracy of that description is high. Anyways, I am able to harness and control these energies. Popular culture might call my abilities 'earth-based' or 'nature-based', but again, although such terms have basic levels of accuracy, they are by no means true descriptions. But I do not know how to describe it any better, and what I've said should give you a sufficient idea of my abilities. I am also capable of flight, which doesn't seem to fit with the other abilities, but it also does not give me the sense of difference the rest of my power does, so it may be an ability carried over from my forgotten past.. Anyways, that describes my power as well as I think I can do so, so let's move on._

_I said earlier that I would get back to the martial arts training. In many countries, most, if not all, martial arts are lumped together under the name 'karate'. However, the school I studied in, Robukai, actually is a school of karate. I don't know about other schools, but the instruction I received in the Robukai school included both unarmed and armed training. The weapon I trained with is called a bo, which is essentially just a simple pole; we used wooden ones in training, but the one I have for myself is different. It may not even be correct to say I have it, for it is with me only when I need it; I form it from the energies of the earth._

_What I learned as a student of Robukai taught me how to fight in the manner of normal humans, but as you already know, I am not 'normal'. The techniques are still effective, I think; they are simply meant for normal human limits, which I do not share. I am faster, stronger, quicker to react, more flexible, and more resilient than normal humans. Thus, I have expanded on my instruction on my own time, adapting what I learned to my own limits. Being able to fight in that manner, both under human limits and my actual limits, is a useful skill, but the training, as mentioned before, was also about discipline._

_Anyways, mastering my powers failed to provide any clues as to who I am, but I was not without another direction to go in. The world felt… wrong to me. Powers of any kind seemed completely absent from the world, that and everything else termed 'magical' relegated to fiction. This was something that always gave me a sense of… well, as though something was wrong, as though the world I used to know was different, was… separate. As though the things humans said didn't exist simply didn't exist in the world they knew, but in… well, another world. So I began examining the myths, the legends. I am currently traveling the country, seeking out places that seem to have connections with legends of other worlds. The shrine that is my current destination is one of them. I do not know what significance it may have, but upon speaking with the miko there, I hope to learn more._

* * *

I sang to myself as I approached the shrine.

"_Why do we,  
__Seek to live,  
__What is it makes life worth living?_

_Those who live,  
__Satisfied,  
__What makes them want to keep living?_

_What have they,  
__Found in life?  
__What is it gives their life meaning?  
__What have they found within their lives?_

_Those who live,  
__Satisfied,  
__Have found a spark in their lives.  
__If one mas-  
__-ters the spark,  
__One has a life worth living._

_Love is the spark in our lives.  
__Love is the spark of our hearts.  
__One who can master the spark will have a life worth living.  
__Love is the spark in our minds.  
__Love is the spark of our souls.  
__One who can master the spark will have a life worth living.  
__Love is the ma~aster's spark._

The song is something that just… came to me one day. It gives me a sense of familiarity; it's likely another fragment of my lost memory. It's actually one of several such songs. There is more to this song, but I trailed off as I arrived at my destination.

The shrine was fairly unremarkable; it was little different from other shrines I'd seen. It was well-maintained, though, and in good shape despite its apparent age. It did, however, seem in some way familiar, although also... wrong, I guess. The woman who emerged to greet me looked about in her twenties, and I could tell by looking at her that she kept herself in just as good a shape as her shrine. There was nothing familiar about her, though.

The miko bowed as I came to a stop in front of her. "Another visitor," she said. "Welcome. I am Yua Hakurei, and this is the Hakurei Shrine."

I don't know where the thought came from, but I blurted it out without thinking. "Not the real one."

"Excuse me?"

"I-I'm sorry," I said. "I don't- I apologize. I don't know where that came from. I saw the shrine and heard its name, and the thought just… came to me."

She was still upset, I could tell, but she forced it back. Mostly, at least. "Just who are you?"

"I am Orphan," I said. "I apologize for upsetting you, but… well, I have come here for a reason, and that sudden thought may indicate that I'm on the right track."

"Please explain, then."

I nodded. "I have lost my memory. I am searching for the past I have forgotten, and my search has led me here. I think this place has some relevance."

Yua was calming down visibly. "I see. Well, I'm not sure what relevance my shrine could have. Unless… you said this shrine wasn't 'the real one'."

"Please don't hold that against me. I-"

"That is far from the worst thing that has been said to me. Do not worry. It did upset me to hear that, but I am not truly offended by it. In fact, it may be something of a clue."

"What do you mean?"

"There is a legend," she said.

"Legends interest me," I said. "Please, tell me more about this legend."

"Certainly. It is a story of a land of magic existing in ages past. The exact stories vary, of course, but they have in common the idea of this land of magic becoming separated from the rest of the world, the reasons for which of course vary greatly between versions of the story. But this land is always separated from the world. It is said that the one remaining point of connection between our world and the land of magic is a shrine. Specifically, this shrine. The Hakurei Shrine.

"The legend says that the Hakurei Shrine was used in the formation of the border separating the land of magic from our world. It is said to anchor the border on both sides. Most versions of the story have the original shrine remaining in the land of magic, the shrine in this world merely a copy."

"I see." What she said fit perfectly with my own conclusions. I had found other stories of a separate land of magic, and had thought that perhaps such a land might truly exist. The idea did… feel correct to me. Perhaps some of those legends were more true than people thought. And this one provided me with a potential point of access.

"It is just a legend," Yua said. "It's not true. I wonder, though, if your thought that this shrine is not the real one came from that legend."

"Maybe," I said. "I would assume, however, that there are people who believe the legend is true."

"Of course there are. Every story, every legend, every figure of myth has those who think it real. It doesn't matter what it is; there will always be people who believe. In fact, the man who was just here, Junpei-you may have met him on the road-was telling me about this village where a friend of his lives. It seems the people there tell of a… frog-lady, or snake-lady, or something like that. She's said to be a god, and apparently, the people there believe in her almost universally. And I understand there are a few other villages with similar belief in her. Even today, there are people who believe such things."

"I know," I said. "I'm one of them."

"Oh! I-I'm sorry."

"Think nothing of it," I said. "Consider us even in potentially offensive statements."

She laughed. "I guess you're right. Anyways, is your business here concluded, then?"

Unbeknownst to her, I had been… feeling out the area, examining it with my sense of the magical. And there was substantial energy of some kind centered at the shrine. So I did still have business here. If this shrine was the point of connection, if the energy I felt was the barrier, then it was possible that I could cross it, cross to this other world. A world that, I somehow knew, held the answers I sought. But my business with Yua was concluded, and I didn't want witnesses to any attempt to cross the border anyways. "It is," I said, dropping a few coins in the donation box. "Thank you for your time, but I'll be going now."

* * *

Cirno was the strongest, and she knew it. Just because most people didn't accept it didn't mean it wasn't true. Sure, she'd been beaten before, even killed-although as a fairy, that meant very little. But that didn't mean she wasn't the strongest. Even the strongest could lose. But this… this was different.

The thing crashed into her, sending her sailing into the ground. She picked herself up and formed a spear of ice, tossing it at the enemy. It pierced into the thing's arm, but the creature simply pulled it out and tossed it aside, seemingly ignoring the wound remaining in its arm. And the other such wounds it had sustained.

Cirno's next spear hit it right in the chest. But even then, there seemed to be no effect, and the thing just pulled it out. And then Cirno sent another spear into the exact same place, penetrating deeper. Which seemed to work, as the beast howled in pain. "Not so tough now, are you?" Cirno said.

The beast didn't remove the spear as it had the others. It left it in as it charged at Cirno. Cirno sent more spears at it, but none had any effect, and the thing left them in, denying Cirno the opportunity for another shot that might penetrate deep enough to harm it. Cirno aimed for the eyes next, but as it had earlier in the fight, the beast held its arm up in front of its face, taking the spears.

As the beast drew closer, Cirno tried freezing it completely, but she'd already tried that, too, and as before, the creature simply broke free of the ice. Cirno froze it again. She sent spears toward its eyes as it broke free, hoping that it would be too distracted to block them in time. And it was.

The creature screamed in pain, but it didn't stop moving. _What the hell is up with this thing?_ Cirno thought. _It's not even flailing around blindly! Does it even need its eyes? What the hell is this thing?_

Cirno attempted to block the thing's path with a wall of ice, but it simply crashed right through. And then Cirno was out of time. The beast picked her up and slammed her into the ground. And slammed her into the ground again. And again. And again.

As her senses faded, Cirno felt herself let go, and felt herself hit the ground. She heard the monster screaming, and saw it aflame. And then there was nothing.

* * *

Alice didn't get many visitors. This was in large part because she lived in the Forest of Magic. Aside from herself and a few other magicians, the only inhabitants of the forest were numerous lesser youkai, and Alice had no interest in them, nor them in her. About the only person who normally came by was Marisa. But today was different. Today, Alice was expecting a different visitor.

Alice entered the front hall upon hearing the 'doll door' she'd installed swing shut. It was, of course, the doll she'd had keeping watch-London Theta, currently. "Your guest is approaching," the doll reported.

"Good," Alice said. "Return to your post."

As London Theta went back outside, Alice made her way into her 'workshop'; it was really just another room of her house, but it was the room in which she did her work. Right now, she had eight dolls lying in a circle, spaced apart enough that full-sized people could have fit without difficulty.

Alice had many dolls, but these were special. They'd always been; they were the first of each 'line'. Starting with the northernmost doll and proceeding clockwise, they were: London, the scout, fast and with good sensory capabilities; Holland, the shield, designed for durability; Copenhagen, the physical combat model; Hourai, the magical combat model; Moscow, the stealth model, designed primarily to avoid detection; Nogales, the 'worker' model and the one Alice had the most dolls of; and Guadalupe, the 'house worker' model. The eighth, Shanghai, the all-purpose model, was even more special. There was only one Shanghai, and for a long time, Alice had been attempting to make her alive. So far, her efforts had all met with failure, but she was about to try something new. Something that should have a very good chance of working not just on Shanghai, but on the seven 'originals' as well. She just had to secure the cooperation of one person. And that person's arrival was imminent.

Alice returned to the front door and stepped outside. She waited on the front step as her guest approached. The guest reminded Alice in many ways of her dolls, but this was to be expected, as the guest was herself a doll. Medicine Melancholy, the 'Little Sweet Poison', as she was called, accompanied as always by a doll floating alongside her. Thrown away onto the Nameless Hill, she had eventually become a youkai. She was a doll that had come to life. She was human-sized, although very much on the small side for a human (her companion doll, on the other hand, was a smaller size, more ordinary for a doll). It would, however, have made her a very large doll. Many though that she simply had been a large doll, perhaps used by a ventriloquist (although she'd have been unusually large even for that), or maybe a model for children's clothing or something, which would also account for her childish appearance. But others, Alice among them, believed something else.

"Thank you for coming," Alice said.

Medicine's tone was hostile. "You said you wanted my help. Why should I give it to you?"

Medicine's attitude was to be expected, as she wanted the emancipation of dolls, and the fact that she was the only known doll with a will didn't seem to mean anything to her. Naturally, she considered the doll-controlling Alice an enemy. But Alice was not going to let that get in the way this time. And she had something to offer that she expected to secure Medicine's cooperation.

"You have a goal," Alice said. "You wish for the freedom of dolls. The problem is that dolls do not think, yourself being the only known exception. Even my dolls are mere automatons. They may seem alive, but this is only an illusion; they can act without specific direction, but that can only do so according to my instructions. It is literally impossible for them, or any other doll besides yourself, to be 'free'."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard all that before. Is this going to be anything but a waste of my time?"

"If you wish for dolls to be free, they must first be alive as you are. I have long been trying to make a doll that is truly alive, and I believe you can help. And dolls that are alive can be free."

"Okay," Medicine said, "what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that with your help, I believe I can make dolls that are truly alive."

"And what do I get out of this?"

"Dolls that are alive are dolls that can become free. Aiding me in reaching my goal will bring you one step closer to yours."

A mature individual might have wanted a promise of something specific, but Medicine's appearance wasn't the only thing childish about her, and telling her it would help her get what she wanted was enough. "What help do you want?"

"Come in, and I will explain."

Alice led Medicine into her workshop. "Observe these eight dolls," Alice said, indicating the dolls on the floor. "I have many dolls, but these eight are special. These dolls are the first I made of their respective types, except for this one; I have made no others of her type. But they are special in another way as well. Are you familiar with the so-called 'Subterranean Animism' incident? Geysers, hot springs, evil spirits, and all that?"

"Not really. All I know is that something happened underground but the shrine maiden and the witch stopped it."

"That's good enough. The miko Reimu and the witch Marisa did not go underground without aid. Yukari enchanted four of Reimu's yin-yang orbs in a manner that allowed her to channel some of her power through them. Marisa had similar aid from me. I had Yukari enchant eight of my dolls such that I could channel my power through them, and I sent them with Marisa. I sent one of each type, as I did not know what capabilities she might require. These eight dolls here are the ones Yukari enchanted."

"So, what, you have greater control over them?"

"I can already take complete control of any of my dolls," Alice said. "What Yukari did only allowed me to send my power through them."

"Why do I need to know this?"

"I have a question for you, Medicine. A question about that little doll that follows you around, that you are never seen separately from. Is that doll you? Is that doll what you were before becoming a youkai?"

"Um… yes."

"Just like the umbrella girl," Alice said. "As I thought. In becoming a youkai, you grew a new body. Excellent."

"Is that all you needed me for? Just that question?"

"Actually," Alice said, "what I need you to do is lie down next to your old self in the middle of my dolls. You will notice that I have prepared magic runes there. Those runes will allow me to take an… 'image', let's call it, of your energy. If I then channel that image through these eight dolls in the manner Yukari's enchantment makes possible, I believe that it will replicate your own coming to life in each of them."

Medicine had to think about that for a moment. "So… if I lie on those runes, you can make these dolls come alive?"

"It is not certain," Alice said, "but I believe so, yes."

Medicine thought for a moment. "And it won't hurt me?"

"You'll probably feel strange for an instant, but that's all. There will be no other effect on you. That much I am certain of."

One more pause for thought. "Then I'll do it," Medicine said.

"Good," Alice said. "Thank you." And it was good. If this worked, she would have brought not only Shanghai to life, but the other seven, too. And one thing she hadn't told Medicine was that in addition to channeling the image into the dolls, she planned to impress it into a spellcard, allowing her to reproduce it as desired.

Alice was closer to her goal than she'd ever been, and not a moment too soon. Alice needed more than automatons. She needed to make dolls that were alive, and more of them than just Shanghai. She had something she needed to do, something she couldn't tell anyone else-not now-but something she couldn't do alone. Her dolls could give her the help she needed, but only if they were alive. So she had to make them alive, because what she needed to do was too important to fail.

* * *

Awareness returned.

Cirno was on the ground. She tried to stand up, but she was unsteady and fell. Or would have, had someone not been there to catch her. Her vision was still blurry, but as she looked up at the one who'd caught her, her vision cleared enough for her to recognize the person. "Rumia."

"What happened?" Rumia asked, her concern for her friend clear in her voice.

Cirno's voice was still unsteady. "I was… attacked. Wh-why are you…

"I heard screams," Rumia said. "I got here as quickly as I could. Um, I saw a… thing running away. It was on fire. There were ice spears-melting-sticking out all over it. Was that the thing that attacked you?"

"Y-yes. I-I-I couldn't… hurt it. I only got… deep enough… once. It… killed me. R-Rumia. Did… did you see any… anyone else?"

"Anyone else? No, I didn't."

"Someone else… attacked it. Lit it on fire. I didn't… see who it was."

"Someone else? Trying to help you?"

Cirno had recovered enough to stand, so Rumia put her down. "I don't know," she said. "I was dying. I couldn't… see much, or hear much, or anything. But… what was that thing?"

"I don't know," Rumia said. "I don't have any idea. I only got a brief look at it, but… I've never seen anything like it."

"Then we have to find out. It might come back. Or it might attack you. Or one of the others. But I couldn't… I couldn't hurt it. What am I supposed to do if it does?"

"I don't know," Rumia said. "But… well, ice didn't work, but fire did, right? Let's get the others and stick together. Maybe one of us has something that can hurt it, too."

People called Rumia childish, but Cirno knew her well, and there was a smart little girl in there. "Okay," Cirno said. "Let's go."

"I'll do it. You still need to recover."

"I'm fine," Cirno said. In demonstration, she tried to leap into the air, but instead stumbled and fell flat on her face. "Ow."

"I'll get them, Cirno. I'll bring them here."

Cirno picked herself up. "No. I'm going too." She again tried to fly, and again fell.

Rumia picked her up. "Fine. I'll carry you, then."

"Th-thanks, Rumia."

"No problem."

* * *

I walked down the path a ways, then doubled back and returned to the shrine. I veered off into the woods and approached silently and unseen. I stopped short of the shrine itself, still in the woods; I should be able to do what I needed to from that position, and I was less likely to be seen.

I reached out with my power, making contact with the concentration of energy anchored at the shrine. It did seem to act as some sort of barrier, but there didn't seem to be anything it was enclosing. Which told me that Yua's legend was correct, that the 'land of magic' had been separated. It seemed as though it was no longer physically a part of this world, although it still had a connection. That connection, then, would have to be what the barrier was protecting.

I felt along the border, following it back to myself. I pushed against it with my power, and as I'd hoped, there was a visible distortion. It was a ways above me, but that, of course, was no problem. Focusing my power in front of me, I leapt into the air, straight towards the distortion. I collided with it.

I focused my power and pushed against the barrier with everything I had. The barrier was strong, and I couldn't break through, but I was, it seemed, causing some kind of disruption to it. It seemed to be distorting somehow, centered, of course, at the spot I was focusing my power on. So I pushed harder, and at the same time, moved in physically. The barrier fought me every instant of the way, but I was able to slowly push myself through it.

Once through to the other world, the force against me did not cease. I had, I was certain, made it to the other world, but I was not out of the barrier, as it of course existed on this side as well. So I continued through it, pushing with all my power.

By the time I made it through, I was completely exhausted. I fell to the ground and collapsed, fighting to stay conscious. And then I was able to make out someone-an adolescent male, it looked like-running towards me.

"Are you okay?" he said as he knelt down next to me.

I was so exhausted that I could barely speak. "Did… did I… make it? Am I… on… the other side?"

"The other side? Wait, you're from outside?"

There was my answer. "So I… did… make it." And then, unable to keep myself conscious any longer, I passed out.

* * *

**Can you figure out who Orphan is before she does? And yes, she is a canon character, not an OC. Feel free to state your theories and reasoning in any reviews or anything; in fact, I encourage it.**

**Also, a note: I have never liked the idea of Gensokyo being seperated from the outside world in the 19th century, so as far as this story is concerned, Gensokyo has been seperate for several hundred years.**

**Anyways, here we go. Reviews are, of course, encouraged.**

**Enjoy the story.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Seperate World

**Chapter 2  
**_The Separate World_

I awoke inside… well, I did not know, but my guess was someone's home. I had been placed on what was presumably a spare mattress, and was in what looked like the main room of the place. The boy I'd seen before was there, and he turned towards me as I sat up. "Ah, you're awake. Good morning. Well, late morning, anyways. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I said, and I was. And I wasn't nearly as exhausted as I expected. I knew I wouldn't be physically tired, but I had needed to use my power to an extent I never had before, so I thought it would have to be quite some time before I'd truly recovered. But it seemed that I actually had fully recovered. "How long was I out?" I asked.

"You passed out yesterday afternoon. I couldn't move you on my own, so I got a friend to carry you here."

A day. Just one day, and my power was already fully recovered. I focused, sensing the world around me. And what I felt was another confirmation that I was in a different world. "The magic is strong here. Much stronger than in the world I came from."

"You can sense it? Then… do you have power of your own?" I nodded. "Well, no wonder you ended up here. How'd it happen?"

"I was fairly brute-force about it," I admitted. "I made my way to the Hakurei Shrine, the barrier's anchor, and simply forced my way through the barrier."

"Forced your-wait, what?" He leapt to his feet in what seemed to be shock. "You broke the barrier? You broke the barrier?"

"Calm down. I did not break the barrier."

He did calm down somewhat, but not completely. "But you said you forced your way through."

"I did, but I did not damage it."

"There's no way you could have pulled that off." He dashed over to a shelf and picked up a strange-looking device. "Still says nothing," he said to himself. "Is the damn thing broken?" He returned it to the shelf and picked up another device. "This one says no problems, too. What the hell is up with these things?"

"Perhaps it means I'm telling the truth," I said.

He put the device down and turned to face me. "There's no way you could have done that. Wait, unless… what power do you have?"

I decided that a simple, concise reply was best. "I have powers of nature."

"Then you can't have influenced the barrier. And if that's the power you have, then even breaking it would require a high level of power."

"I assume those devices of yours monitor the barrier, correct?"

"Yes," he said. "I have no power of my own. Most with power can sense it at least when near here, since this is its anchor, although weaker ones have to pretty much be right next to the place, but those of us without power cannot sense it even here at the anchor. So I have to use these, but they're not working. They can't be if they say you didn't break the barrier."

_So that's where I am, then. This world's Hakurei Shrine._ "They are, though. I did not break the barrier, and although it's possible I did so without knowing it, I can sense the barrier, and it is whole."

"But you'd say that even if it wasn't. And there's no telling when Reimu'll be back, so I need someone-" He paused, then slapped himself in the face. "Well, now I feel stupid. I'll just ask her when she gets here."

Based on what he'd said, I assume that 'she' was not this 'Reimu' he'd mentioned. "Who is she?"

"The friend I mentioned, the one who carried you here. Her name's Suika. She'll probably be here soon. Um, when you see her…"

"Yes?"

"Well," he said, "she's not human, and you'll be able to tell as soon as you see her. Try not to be scared or anything."

I laughed. "I've spent the last five years being the 'different' one and hiding it. I'm not going to be scared just because someone has a more visible difference."

"That's good," he said. "Anyways, she does have power, and I know I can trust her. Um, no offense."

"You don't know me at all. None taken. I assume you'll want me to wait here until she arrives?"

"Yeah. I'll introduce her to you-wait, I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name's Nol."

"I am Orphan."

* * *

"Okay, Medicine," Alice said, "you may feel like something is being taken from you. I am not taking anything away from you, just making a copy of it, but since what I'm copying is your image, it may feel like I am. I assure you that you will lose nothing, so please do not fight it."

"O-okay," Medicine said.

There had been additional preparations that Medicine's cooperation had been required to make. As a result, the actual procedure had had to wait until today, and in that time, it appeared, Medicine had begun to have second thoughts. But her childishness was again working in Alice's favor; like many children, she hated being treated like a child, and Alice had said that the keeping of one's word was one mark of an adult. So now Medicine was determined to see this through simply out of a child's determination to prove that she was not a child.

Medicine was in her proper position in the middle of the circle of dolls. "The magic runes underneath you," Alice said, "are now synchronized to your unique energy, as I explained yesterday that we were doing. At this point, all you need to do is remain still. The rest is my job. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Then I shall begin."

* * *

"…who told me a legend of another world," I said, explaining to Nol about myself and my reason for coming to this world. "She told me that the barrier was supposedly anchored at the shrine, and I did indeed sense its presence. I left, snuck back, and attempted to cross the border. It took more power than I'd ever used before to push my way through, but I did, obviously, succeed."

"I see," Nol said. "Well, um… um, I'm sorry, Orphan. I still find it hard to believe that you did that without damaging the barrier. People do sometimes come here from the outside world, but… well, doing it the way you did isn't supposed to be possible. And you weren't even injured, just drained."

"All I can say is that I did in fact do it."

"Well, it's just hard to-"

"Well, hi there!"

I turned to face the speaker. The young-looking girl had apparently just walked right in, and as Nol had said, she was clearly not human. The horns on her head made this obvious. She was wearing a tattered-looking blouse and a purple skirt. She also had chains on her arms, and attached to one of the chains was what appeared to be a gourd. "You must be Suika."

"Yep," the girl said. "Suika Ibuki. What's your name?"

"I am Orphan."

"'Orphan'? Weird name."

"It is appropriate," I said. "I lost my memory. I do not know my name, so I took one that I thought was fitting."

"Ah."

"Suika," Nol said, "can you feel the barrier for me? Orphan says she forced her way through, and there's no way she could have done that without damaging it, but the sensors say nothing's wrong with it."

"They're right," Suika said. "It's fine. You must be pretty strong, Orphan."

"She's right about that, Orphan" Nol said. "You actually pushed your way through the barrier without damaging yourself or it. It must've taken a miracle to pull that off."

"No miracle," I said. "Only my own power."

"Whatever. Anyways, Suika, I'm glad you're here. Ready for work?"

"Oh, is there a problem you need me to handle?"

Nol nodded. "I've been seeing fairies around here all this morning. I think they're up to some sort of mischief. Could you, um, 'persuade' them to take their mischief elsewhere?"

"Fairies? Aw, man, that's no fun. I want a challenge. Hey, you're strong, right, Orphan? How about it?"

This girl was confusing me. "Um, are you saying you want to fight me?"

"What else would I be-oh, wait, from outside. Right. Yes, I'm challenging you to a fight."

"She doesn't know anything about Gensokyo," Nol said. "She can't do danmaku until she works out some patterns and spellcards. You'll have to wait on-"

Something could be heard from outside. "Sound like someone's already fighting," Nol said. He ran for the door. "Come on, Suika, let's take a look."

_

* * *

_

Hi there! Name's Suika. Suika Ibuki, and I'm an oni.

_When I first left the underground and came to Gensokyo, a lot of people didn't believe me when I told them I'm an oni. It wasn't a big deal, though; I just beat the crap out of everyone until they accepted it. Except Reimu; I couldn't beat her. But I'm not alone there. She just doesn't lose, even against people like me who're stronger than her. And I am, and by a lot, too. But she still beat me, and she didn't even cheat like humans did back before we oni moved underground. She's got skill, but that's not all of it. She's the Hakurei Shrine's miko, and the Hakurei Shrine is the anchor for the existence of the Hakurei Barrier, and from that, Gensokyo. She draws a lot from the shrine. Not in terms of raw power-she's often outclassed there-but her connection to the shrine and the barrier lets her do all kinds of stuff. I just couldn't keep up with everything she threw at me._

_Anyways, I'm pretty much the strongest youkai in Gensokyo, or at least I haven't found anyone yet who's stronger. I was the strongest back underground, too. I could beat the crap out of anyone, and they knew it. Although that made it tough to get my hands on the gourd._

_My gourd's special. It never runs out of sake. I'm not the only oni who's had it; it's quite the treasure for us. A lot of different oni have had it. I got it by winning it in a contest from Eenoe, its last owner. And it wasn't easy. Oh, the fight wasn't too tough, even though he was pretty strong-I am the strongest oni-but getting him to fight took some doing. He knew I wanted it, and he knew that if he accepted a challenge, he'd lose-he was generally quite confident in himself and fond of contests, but he knew I was way ahead of him, and he did not want to lose the gourd to me. And everyone knows there's no shame in simply saying 'no, I'd rather not' to a challenge, so he'd just decline any challenge I made. So I had to find a way to get him to challenge me._

_I did it with the help of a satori girl named Mekemi. Satori are usually hated and feared because of their power to read minds, but Mekemi had closed her third eye, sealing her mind-reading power away. She wasn't the first satori to do so, and she wasn't the last, either. Anyways, I met her one day, and we became friends. And when I came up with a plan to get Eenoe to challenge me, she agreed to help me._

_Mekemi is a member of the Komeiji family, the rulers of the underground. Not directly, though; she was like a sister of a cousin or a niece of a wife or something like that-I can never keep track of those big extended families. Not close enough to merit special treatment as a noble, but close enough that when she said she was representing them in something, people believed her. So I had her talk to Eenoe about the gourd, saying that the Komeiji family was interested in it. "We go through a lot of sake," she'd said, "and not just because of all the gatherings we host. We've got a lot of people living in the palace; satori generally don't drink much, but when you've got as many people as we do, you go through it fast anyways. I think your gourd would help us out with that."_

_Eenoe, as I'd expected, refused to give it up. Mekemi pressed the issue, and Eenoe eventually said that she could challenge him for it. "B-b-b-but I can't fight," Mekemi said._

"_Then someone else can make the challenge in your place."_

"_N-n-no," Mekemi said. "I don't want to start a fight."_

"_Then don't ask someone to fight for you. I'll do it." He raised his voice to be heard over the general noise of the popular bar. "Hey! Anyone wanna challenge me for the gourd? This girl wants someone to get it for her! Anyone willing to fight me for it?"_

_I was waiting outside the bar, and when he said that, I walked in. "I'll take that challenge."_

_He turned around at the sound of my voice, and when he saw it was me, well, the look on his face had me on the floor laughing. He'd fallen for it big time, making a general challenge and not knowing I was there. But he couldn't back out; he'd made the challenge, and I'd accepted it, so backing out then would be forfeiting, and I'd get the gourd anyways. So we fought, and I won, and then, of course, he tried to say that I had to give it to Mekemi, but I'd expected that, and Mekemi knew the plan. "Hey, I just said it'd help us out. I never actually asked you for it. You're the one who wanted a fight so badly."_

_This, of course, just pissed him off. "Oh, you treacherous little BITCH!" He took a swing at Mekemi, but then I was there. I grabbed his arm and threw him right out the door. "Hey, let's not be a sore loser, here."_

_Eeneo glared at me from outside the bar. "This was your plan, wasn't it? You're the real treacherous bitch. With a trick like that, you're as bad as a human."_

"_Nah. It was just to get you to fight. I won fair and square."_

"_That's a load of shit, and you know it!," he shouted as he stormed off. "Don't think this is over, bitch!"_

_That was indeed not the last I saw of him. He's challenged me several times since then, but I've always won, even after he started resorting to human-style trickery. And he's not the only one to challenge me for the gourd, just the only one to use underhanded tactics against me. Everyone else fought fairly. And some of them even came pretty close to winning; Yuugi-one of the so-called 'Devas of the Mountain', just like me-in particular put up quite a good fight. But I beat even her, and I'm glad for it, because I don't want to lose the gourd. I haven't been sober since I got it, and I don't want that to change._

_I never liked being sober; that's why I wanted the gourd so badly. Now I never have to worry about running out of sake, so I'll never have to be sober. And I don't have to worry about my health like humans do, so I can just be drunk all the time without worry. And it's just so much more fun living life drunk._

_Anyways, I eventually left the underground; Gensokyo's just so much more interesting. I didn't like being the only oni around, though, so I tried to draw others back up to the surface. That's when I first met a lot of the people of Gensokyo and beat the crap out of them, as I said earlier. My plan didn't work, though; Reimu beat me and put a stop to it. But then later other things happened, and now oni are coming up anyways,-though I'm currently the only one who lives up here-so it's all good._

_There's a nice spot up in Bhava-Agra I got after beating the crap out of a celestial, and I lived up there for a while, but these days, I'm usually at the Hakurei Shrine. All sorts of people come by that place; all the parties up in heaven are nice, but aside from that, the shrine's a much more interesting place. And I can go to the parties anyways. And Reimu's always glad to have help around the shrine, so she never has a problem with me staying there. Even now that she's got Nol as an assistant, there's still plenty to do. Besides, she's lazy, so she usually just gives Nol a lot of the work she'd be doing._

_So yeah, life's good. Although things have been getting strange lately. There hasn't been much oddness at the shrine or up in heaven, so I haven't run into anything yet myself, but I can tell something's happening. I'm not worried, though. Crazy things happen all the time in Gensokyo, and no matter what happens, Reimu and her friend Marisa are always there to deal with it. Although I think whatever's happening now has gone on for a lot longer than usual. And although she won't say anything, I think Reimu's already made at least one failed attempt to stop whatever's happening now. So yeah, there might be trouble in the near future, but really, who cares? I've got a good life; why should I worry about something that might not even happen? If you ask me, people should forget about stuff like that and just enjoy life._

* * *

Cirno and Rumia had, of course, gotten Daiyousei first, as she too lived at the lake. Then they'd headed in the direction of the human village and the Bamboo Forest of the Lost to find Wriggle and Mystia. They'd decided to stay at Mystia's place for the time being, but that, as was now apparent, hadn't been the best decision.

Mystia narrowly dodged a blast from the creature facing them. It turned its attention to Wriggle, and Mystia flew over to Cirno. "You said fire works, right?"

"How the hell should I know? This one's different from the one yesterday!" And it was a different opponent. The creature Cirno had fought the day before had simply seemed to feel no pain unless the hit penetrated quite deeply. This one did appear to feel pain, but thanks to its apparent regenerative abilities, any injury to the thing healed very quickly.

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"How the hell should I know?"

The thing had gone for Wriggle, but the firefly sent a swarm of insects at it, getting away while they attacked it. Wriggle turned to watch, but the insects proved to be nothing more than a temporary distraction. "How can it be immune to EVERY SINGLE POISON I can send at it?"

"It's not," Rumia said. "It's healing from their effects, too."

The creature went for Daiyousei next, then froze. Literally. Not for long, though; it quickly broke free of the ice, but Cirno's move had bought Daiyousei time to run. The monster went for Rumia next, charging straight through everything the darkness youkai could send at it.

The beast leapt into the air and slammed down at an angle, sending large chunks of earth at Rumia. Rumia blasted some of them away, but there were too many for her. But then Cirno was there, and the incoming projectiles slammed into a wall of ice. But the ice didn't stop the beast itself.

The beast smashed through the ice and went straight for Rumia. Rumia didn't react fast enough, but Cirno did, slamming into the darkness youkai and knocking her out of the way. The creature slammed into Cirno with great force, knocking her into the ground hard. Then there was a flash, and a scream, and heat, and a pained cry, and sounds of motion, and…

Cirno waited a few seconds for her head to clear, then got to her feet and looked around. The beast was gone, and it had left a trail of smoldering plant life. Daiyousei was next to her, and the other fairy supported Cirno as she stumbled. "What-what happened?"

"I don't know," Daiyousei said. "It all happened so fast. You got hit, then there was a flash, and then the monster was on fire, and it ran off. It didn't see who ignited it, but someone has to have."

"Where are the o-" Cirno cut off as sounds from behind her registered. She spun around to see Rumia lying on the ground, moaning, with Wriggle and Mystia knelt down next to her.

"Rumia!" Cirno ran over to her, knocking Wriggle aside as she bent over her friend. "Are you okay?" she asked as Wriggle picked herself up. "What happened?"

"It hurts," Rumia said. "It just… uuuuuuuuuuu. Owwwwwwwwwwww. Uuuuuuuuuugh."

"Rumia, what's happening? What hurts?"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I don't- it just hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrts. Owowowowowowowowowow."

"We can't figure out what's wrong with her," Mystia said. "I can't find any injuries."

"Then we have to find someone who can figure out what's wrong."

Daiyousei came up beside Cirno. "What about that monster? Did it do something?"

"It never touched her," Wriggle said.

"It still might have done something. Maybe we should look for-"

"Who cares about that stupid thing?" Cirno said. "Rumia's hurt! We have to get her help!"

"Eientei," Mystia said. "They've got the best hospital in Gensokyo."

"Then we have to get her there!"

"We have to find the place, first," Wriggle said, "and by all accounts, that's not easy."

"No problem," Mystia said. "I've been there a lot. Kaguya loves my eel; I get special orders from her all the time. I know the way. Come on, follow me!"

* * *

"You may stand," Alice said. "It's done."

Medicine got to her feet and looked around. "Whoa!"

"As you can see," Alice said, "it worked." And it had. All eight dolls were still in their previous positions, but next to each one was a larger body, about the same size as Medicine's. And as with Medicine, each body was, aside from its size, identical to the doll it was born from.

"They're just lying there," Medicine said. "Are they sleeping?"

"More or less. They'll wake up soon. But I can still sense them, so I know it worked. They're alive."

"You can still-damn it, you tricked me, didn't you? You're still just going to control them! Aren't you?"

"The entire point of bringing them to life is so they can act on their own, outside my control. Controlling them now would be stupid. I've spent a lot of time and effort on this; I'm not going to do something that defeats the entire purpose."

"Ah, whatever. Just free them. That's what you said, right?"

Again, Medicine was acting exactly as Alice had expected. "I said that discovering how to bring dolls to life would put you one step closer to your goal."

"Damn it, you did trick me!"

Alice sighed. "No, Medicine. Think about it. All I did was copy your image and send it into the eight dolls. The magic runes weren't there to copy your image for me; I did that on my own. But normally, even one who knows how can only do it with one's own image. All the magic runes did was allow me to reach your image as I can reach mine. Anyone who learns how can copy one's own image. That includes you."

"Wait, so you're saying that if I learn how to do that, I'll be able to make dolls alive, too?"

"Not quite," Alice said. "Remember, these dolls are special. I needed the channeling capability provided by Yukari's enchantment in order to send the image into them. But if you have Yukari do the same thing, enchant some dolls for you so you can channel your power through them, and if you learn how to copy your image, then yes, you'd be able to do it, too."

Medicine was excited. "Then I need you to-no, not you. Someone else." She continued on as she ran out the door. "I have to find someone who can teach me that! Then find Yukari! Then…"

Alice watched as Medicine faded into the distance. _Yes, and good luck with that. I think you'll find it's not really all that easy to do. If you can even do it in the first place._ Which she doubted. Even before learning how to do it, she'd have to learn to use magic in the first place, which was different from the powers of poison she had. And Alice doubted that Medicine had that capacity. Her own dolls had magic capacity-all of them; the Hourai model had been specifically designed for its use, but the capacity existed in all of them-but she'd had to infuse them with magic during their creation for that. It was very unlikely that the same capacity existed in Medicine. _And if by some chance it does, and she becomes a problem, well, I'll just have to deal with her then._

Alice went back into her workshop. She pulled up a chair, sat down, and waited for her newly living dolls to wake.

* * *

I followed Suika and Nol outside, and sure enough, there was a battle taking place in the air nearby. "Marisa," Suika said. "Hey, and she's fighting my fairies!"

"I thought you said that was too boring," Nol remarked.

"Yeah, but it's still a fight."

"Well, I think Marisa has it under control."

As the two of them talked, I observed the battle. A human-_or just human-looking,_ I reminded myself, as there was no telling what all might look human in this world-woman was firing blasts of magic at a bunch of small, winged creatures. _So those are fairies, then._ As for the woman herself, well, she looked like something out of stories from the 'outside world', as Nol had called it. Basically, she was a blond-haired woman who looked exactly like the outside world's stereotypical concept of a witch, right down to the hat and broom.

The fairies fired back, but even I, new to all of this, could tell that this 'Marisa' completely outclassed them in pretty much every way. They didn't have a chance.

As the battle drew closer, I could begin to hear Marisa and the fairies shouting at each other, but I didn't pay attention to their worlds, because I also heard something else. _Music? What the hell? How is there music playing?_

As Nol, Suika, and I watched the battle, the fairies eventually ended up in a direct line between Marisa and the three of us. And it was at that point that Marisa took something out of… well, I couldn't make it out clearly at that distance, but presumably a bag or something similar.

Nol, whose senses were apparently among the normal range for humans, didn't seem able to see the battle well enough to notice that Marisa had taken hold of this object. But Suika could, and she seemed to know what it was. "She's doing it!" the non-human girl cried out, running to the side.

Nol turned to me. "Move."

I didn't ask any questions. They knew what was happening. So I just followed them, moving out of what I assumed was going to be Marisa's line of fire. And then she souted something, presumably the name of a spell. "Love sign!"

'_Love sign'? What kind of spell is that supposed to be?_

But Marisa wasn't finished. "Master Spark!"

As it happened, I was well out of the way by that point. Which was fortunate, because upon hearing the complete spell name, I came to a dead stop. _Master-what the hell? Who is this girl?_

The spell, I soon found out, was a laser. A very, very large one. It blew straight through the fairies and hit the ground right where I and the others had been standing.

As the dust from the spell's impact cleared, I saw Marisa land and hop off her broom, taking it in her hand. The music was still playing, and as she approached, Marisa sang along to its tune. And after hearing her spell's name, I was not surprised when I recognized the words. So I went out to meet her, and as I did, I sang along:

_Love is the spark in our lives.  
__Love is the spark of our hearts.  
__One who can master the spark will have a life worth living.  
__Love is the spark in our minds.  
__Love is the spark of our souls.  
__One who can master the spark will have a life worth living.  
__Love is the ma~aster's spark._

"Hey," Marisa said, the music suddenly stopping, "you know my song."

"Your song? You're the one who wrote it?"

"Well, no," she admitted. "I don't know who wrote it. I think it was Yuuka, but I don't actually know. I do know that I first heard it from her. I liked it, so when I took Master Spark, I took the music as well. Anyways, I'm Marisa." She extended her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Handshakes, given name followed by surname... it seemed that this world, or at least the part of it I was in, used at least some of what the outside world called 'western' customs. I shook her hand. "Likewise. I am Orphan."

We released hands. "'Orphan'? Kind of an odd name, don't you think?"

"I chose it for myself," I said, "as I lost my name along with everything else about myself when I lost my memory five years ago."

"You lost your memory? And you're just telling this to anyone you happen to-wait, of course you are. You're hoping to meet someone who knows you, aren't you?"

I nodded. "That is my hope. And I think you may be one of those people-well, you or this 'Yuuka'. You see, there are… fragments. Small things, like recognizing that the Hakurei Shrine in the outside world isn't the real one, or getting a sense of familiarity from tales of a separate world. Or, in your case, a song. I know that song."

"'The Master's Spark'," Marisa said.

"The same name as your spell."

"Yeah. That's why I think Yuuka wrote it; Master Spark was originally her spell."

"Why don't you two come inside?" Nol said, walking up to us. "You can talk inside."

"Works for me," I said, and Marisa and I followed as he, joined by Suika, led the way back into the shrine.

* * *

"Well," Marisa said after I'd given her my story, "I'm sorry to say that I don't really recognize you. There's something vaguely familiar about, you, but nothing I can place."

"Then I'm just reminding you of someone," I said. "People remember me, even if they only saw me at a glance."

Marisa seemed puzzled. "Why? What's so special about you?"

"She's from the outside world," Nol reminded her.

"Well, yeah, but what does that have to- oh, wait, the hat. Of course."

Now I was puzzled. "My hat?"

"It's' probably pretty distinctive in the outside world," Nol said, "but here, we've got all sorts of crazy hats. There's a woman in the village who goes around with what looks like a miniature pagoda on her head. So yeah, don't expect your hat to stand out here nearly as much as it did in the outside world."

"I see."

"So yeah, I may have seen you before," Marisa said. "Probably fought you at some point. Um, you said you have power, right? What's your power? That'll help."

"Unfortunately, no, it won't. I do indeed have power-power of nature, specifically-and I originally hoped that mastering it would help me learn who I am. But the further I progressed, the more certain I became that my power has… changed, somehow. My current power is not the power I had before whatever caused me to lose my memory. I am certain of that. And…"

"Go on," Nol said after a brief silence.

"Well," I said, "there's something about this world that just feels… well, right. I was right to come here, it would seem; I have little remaining doubt that this world is where I'm from."

"Okay," Marisa said, "so you somehow ended up in the outside world with no memory and different powers."

"Seems that way," I said. "Oh, this might be relevant. When I first awoke, my clothing was, well, damaged, but my hat was not."

"Not much of a clue," Suika said. "That's common here. A lot of people here get special protection for their hats."

"Please explain."

"I'll explain, ze," Marisa said. "See, almost everyone either wears a hat or has some kind of something in their hair-or something like horns, like Suika here. Going out in public while bare-headed is kinda seen as indecent."

"Sounds kind of strange," I remarked. "So that's why people protect their hats?"

"No, just why everyone has either a hat or hair decorations-or, again, horns or the like, which count. The reason people like to protect their hats is because most people make their hats themselves. Most of the hats you'll see here are one-of-a-kind-some clothes, too. That's why they're protected. For example, I wove some magic into mine when I made it. That's the most common method, although there are others. Doesn't give them any armor qualities, though; they still won't protect you any. Don't ask me why; I don't know why it works that way, just that it does. Anyways, you probably don't remember what you did with your hat."

"I do not," I confirmed, "but I do believe that I was not the one to do it. I have a sense that the hat is important to me, somehow. Special. I think it was a gift from someone."

"Ah."

"Anyways," I said, "now that you've explained that, let's move on. What about your song? I learned it somehow."

"Yeah, but that might've been from Yuuka."

"But if it was from you, when could it have been?"

"Well," Marisa said, "I probably fought you once."

"That's good to know," I said. "If that's true, it narrows down the possibilities."

"Not really," Nol remarked. "I think Marisa's fought almost everyone in Gensokyo at least once."

"Probably," Marisa agreed. "Anyways, you heard the music while I was fighting, right? Well, I've got a little spell that plays the tune. A lot of people have something like that. You'll run into a lot of people with their own theme tunes. We usually play them during the… more interesting matches, but it's been unusually long since I last had one of those, so I decided to play it against the fairies. But yeah, you probably heard it when fighting me."

"And the lyrics? What you played was instrumental."

"I sing along sometimes," Marisa said, "mainly during the toughest fights. It helps me concentrate. I'm guessing you might have heard it then and had it stick in your head."

"Right," I said. "So no clue there, either. Damn. Okay, then. It doesn't look like I'll be finding any answers around here. Do you have maps here, Nol?"

"We do. I'll be right back." He got up and left the room, returning shortly with a map. "Here you go," he said, handing it to me as he sat back down. "This is the most recent map, so it should be completely up to date."

I examined the map. "Hmm… well, none of these place names are giving me a sense of familiarity. In the absence of any clues, I guess I'll just have to go from place to place. I should probably start with some of these villages."

"Maybe not," Nol said. "You look human, so the only village you'd be from is the Human Village, and we didn't have anyone disappear like that at that time. And even if you were from another village, news like that usually gets around sooner or later, and I don't think any of the other villages have had any such disappearances, either. You might want to try other places." He indicated a location on the map. "Like this one, Eientei. It was only like ten or so years ago that a lot of people first learned it was even there-although most of the people there are rabbits, and you're not. Still, though, if someone disappeared from there, word might not really get around; Eientei's a lot more self-contained than a lot of places. Kind of comes with the way they hid themselves from the rest of Gensokyo."

I indicated a different location. "What about here?"

"The Scarlet Devil Mansion? Maybe. There aren't as many people there, but they do tend to stay isolated. But… well, going there might not be the best idea."

"Why?"

"Well, um, you're human, right?"

"I had assumed as much before coming here," I said, "but here, there are those who look like humans but are not, correct? And I do know that my physical capabilities are far beyond the human norm."

"That's common for humans with power, though. Although if you saw Marisa's fight as clearly as you say, you're beyond even those levels. If you're human, then you've boosted your physical capabilities. But you wouldn't be the only such human."

"Yeah," Suika said. "Byakuren was like that even back when she was human."

I didn't know who Byakuren was, but it didn't matter. "So I shouldn't rule it out, then. But what importance does this hold where the Scarlet Devil Mansion is concerned?"

"Well," Nol said, "put most simply, the mistress is a vampire. As in, they drink human blood. If you're human, she might try for you."

So vampires existed here, too. "I see. Well, I'll have to consider that. In fact, before I go anywhere, I should really know more about this world."

"I can give you the basics," Nol said, "but let's let Marisa handle whatever business she has here first."

"I think it's settled, ze," Marisa said. "I came for Reimu, but she's clearly not here."

"She set out again yesterday. Said she might be gone for a while."

"She went on her own initiative? Without me having to drag her out of here? Huh. I guess anything can happen. Where'd she go?"

"She did her usual," Nol said. "Just flew off in a random direction." He pointed. "Something like that direction, I think."

"Then I should get after her." Marisa got to her feet. "See you, ze." She walked outside, mounted her broom, and flew away.

* * *

Hourai was the first to awaken.

The newly living doll's eyes opened slowly, and she looked around the room. She raised herself into a seating position and remained that way for a few minutes. She then got slowly to her feet, her old self floating in the air behind her, and faced Alice. "Mother."

Alice stood as well. "Hourai. Um, how are you feeling?"

"You don't need to ask. I know you can tell."

"Oh. Um, I-I-I see."

The doll laughed. "You didn't know what to expect from us, did you?"

"Um, apparently not."

"Well," Hourai said, "I can't speak for the others, but I can speak for myself, and I believe my personality is properly developed. I do, after all, remember."

"Ah, so the memory banks did transfer. Good. I don't think that happened with Medicine."

"Medicine was an ordinary doll. All of your children are more than that. She didn't have any memory of any kind to be transferred."

Alice knew this, of course, but she was distracted by speaking to Hourai. She'd worked to make living dolls for years, but now that it had happened, now that she was actually having her first true conversation with one of her dolls, everything she'd done to prepare for the moment seemed to leave her. "Right. So you remember everything."

"Yes, and now that I am alive, the information and experiences I remember are enough to shape the basic personality Medicine likely had when she first came to life has already been shaped into one that's more complex."

"Um, yes. Of course. I would assume the others are the same way."

Hourai turned to look at the other dolls. "Yes. My sisters." She walked around the circle, naming each as she passed it. "London. Holland. Copenhagen. Moscow. Nogales. Guadalupe. And…" She turned back to Alice, "Shanghai."

Was that… jealousy? At how Alice had focused her efforts on Shanghai? "Um…"

"There is no need to worry," Hourai said. "I know you do not favor Shanghai over the rest of us. You did, after all, design her as general-purpose with the intent of best preparing her for living. You made her in order to bring her to life first. I do not resent her for that, or you. We were all made with a purpose in mind; you only used her for her purpose, and there is nothing wrong with that. And although I do not know the minds of my sisters, they, too, were each made with a purpose. And like me, they will know this." She walked up to Alice. "So be at ease, Mother. I am sure they know you love them all equally.

"We all know," Hourai said, and she and Alice embraced.

* * *

Suika had just left, although she said she'd return in a bit. "So," I said, "what is she?"

"Suika's an oni," Nol told me. "She's small, especially for an oni, but she's also strong, even for an oni. And she's even more of a partier and a drunkard than most of her kind."

"What of her age? She looks like a human child, but I suppose human standards may not apply to oni."

"Yeah, she's a lot older than she looks. There's a lot of youkai that just look young, even like children, but that doesn't mean they are. Suika's been alive for, well, I don't know her exact age, but she's been alive for hundreds of years, at least. I don't know how long ago it was that the oni moved underground, but she's been alive since before then."

"I see."

"Right," Nol said, "so you want a crash course on Gensokyo."

"I do."

"Let's get going, then. We'll start with a little history. Well, a very little, because I don't know much. Gensokyo was separated from the outside world a long time ago. Hundreds of years ago. I don't know exactly when it was done, and I don't know why it was done. It's been separate ever since. People and objects do pass through sometimes, as you of course know. The worlds do have a connection, yes, but they are separate.

"Anyways, the name 'Gensokyo' is used both as the name of the entirety of what was separated from the outside world and as the name of this land specifically. The 'greater Gensokyo' encompasses our 'lesser Gensokyo', as well as several other realms, including Makai, the Netherworld, Heaven, and Hell."

"I don't know what any of those are," I said. "Not as they are here, at least."

"I'll give you the quick versions, then. Makai is what outside world popular culture would call 'hell', except for the absence of an 'antigod' figure such as Satan. It's the land of demons, although I understand there aren't any pits of fire or anything. Oh, and they're no more inherently 'evil' than anyone else. The Netherworld is, of course, the land of ghosts. Then there's Hell, which is nothing like Makai. Hell is where the souls of dead humans go to be judged for their actions in life. Except the ones that become ghosts and go to the Netherworld; I'm not really sure how that all works. Anyways, Heaven is also nothing like outside world conceptions of it. No dead people go there; it's just another place where different youkai-a catch-all term for any person who's not human, like fairies, oni, kappa, and so on-if it's a person and not human, it's a youkai. Anyways, Heaven's just a place where different kinds of youkai live. There's also the underground and the Ancient City, an ancient city where the oni live-Suika's the only one living above ground right now. And yes, I know a lot of the names are uncreative. Get used to it; names like that are everywhere in Gensokyo."

"Perhaps you'd best tell me a little about Gensokyo's nature," I said. "It sounds like there's all kinds of stuff here."

"Yeah, that's pretty much the case. And a lot of what we have here is still known in the outside world, just as stories and legends and that sort of thing. Oh, but don't think that just because you recognize the name of a youkai species, you know anything about them. The outside world's portrayals are pretty much universally wrong, although some are closer than others.

"Anyways, Gensokyo's basically the land of magic. All youkai have some kind of power-although most of them are very weak-and there are humans with power, too. Now, as I said, the term 'youkai' includes pretty much and thinking individual that isn't human. In addition to youkai species like the oni, kappa, and tengu, there are youkai that formed from other things. There are many types of youkai that came from animals, such as the rabbits of Eientei. But although such youkai usually come from animals, they can come from almost anything. Hell, there's even an umbrella that became a youkai-and no, I don't know how that works, so we'll just say 'magic'. Hell, that's how most things here work, anyways."

Nol was going a bit too fast for me to really keep up. "Right. Um, how about we do this: I'll say something I want to know more about, then you tell me about it. Should work better then your quick jumping from name to name to name."

"Sure," Nol said. "What's first?"

* * *

Fujiwara no Mokou waited as the rabbit girl fetched Eirin. Mokou was on fairly friendly terms with most of the residents of Eientei, but they still had an understandable reluctance to bring her inside. She wasn't here for Kaguya this time, but the guards were still wary of her-which was understandable, considering how often she did come for Kaguya. Although when she did, she tended not to stop and say 'hi' to the guards. Still, she understood their waryness, and wasn't going to protest its results. Besides, it wasn't really that long until Eirin walked out, anyways.

"Hello, Mokou," Eirin said.

"Hello, Eirin."

Eirin looked around. "Hmm… I don't see anyone with you. When I heard you were here, I thought you'd be bringing someone in need of treatment."

"They're coming on their own," Mokou said. "It's Cirno's group-you know about them, right?"

Eirin nodded. "Mystia talks about them a lot."

"Well, one of them-Rumia, a darkness youkai-is in pain. They just had a nasty battle, but only Cirno was badly injured, and she's a fairy, so she's already as good as new. But Rumia's in pain anyways, and they don't know why. They're hoping you can help her, so Mystia's bringing them here."

"And you know all this because…"

"Because I was watching when it happened, although they don't know I was there. I watched a similar battle Cirno had on her own yesterday, and even drove her opponent off after she went down-and she doesn't know I was there yesterday, either."

"So this 'Rumia' is being brought to me. That hardly sounds like something that merits warning me. There's more to this."

"Of course there is," Mokou said. "You see, they may not know what's happening to Rumia, but I believe I do. What I'm here to tell you is not something that should be told to them, but I think it is best that you know."

"Then please," Eirin said, "tell me."

And Mokou did.

* * *

**Right, so another thing I don't like is the idea that Reimu created the spellcard system. I've always thought that that, too, should be older, although not as much older as Gensokyo's separation. So as far as this story is concerned, it wasn't Reimu (I may or may not go into the details of how it was created; I haven't decided yet).**

**Anyways, yeah, there's the second chapter. The pace of updates may slow down now, since classes are starting, but I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Way Things are Done

**Chapter 3  
**_The Way Things are Done_

All eight dolls were now awake, and Alice had had her first conversation with each of them. All eight had different personalities, but they were all somewhat similar. And all of them had shared Hourai's sentiments. Alice wanted to spend time with them, with the living dolls she'd worked so hard to make, but unfortunately, she didn't have that time. She had to get moving as soon as possible.

"Okay," Alice said to the dolls, "all eight of you have your memories intact, so you all know what I need you to do."

"And we'll do it, Mother," London said.

Alice smiled at her. "I never doubted it. But there is something I must do first, because we need a way to get in without anyone knowing. And I can only think of one way to do it. I'm going to go meet with Yukari; she can provide the way in we need. We'll need a way to remain undetected as well, but I have a plan for that, too.

"Now that you are alive, you should be able to develop your abilities beyond what they were when you weren't. I built those abilities into you, but now that you are alive, you can develop them and master them just like anyone else can. I would like to give you time to do that, but unfortunately, time is short. We must begin as soon as I return. Use the time until then to explore your abilities, to get accustomed to using them consciously. Since you had and used them from when you were made and still have those memories, this should be quick. Use the rest of the time to practice, and to prepare yourselves for your roles. Understand?"

"Yes, Mother," the eight of them replied in unison.

"Good. In that case, I must be off. As I said, there's no time to waste."

And then Alice did something she hated. She knew that she had to, and that her children-she'd already stopped thinking of them as dolls-understood why she had to, but she still hated it. But she had to do it, so she did.

Alice grabbed a few things she'd need, then exited her house and took off for Yukari's.

* * *

Nol told me much about the Youkai of Gensokyo. About fairies. "Fairies are born from nature. They're usually quite weak, and they die very easily. However, they resurrect upon death. You don't need to worry about them; most have no offensive ability, although there are some exceptions. They can fire danmaku, but even for someone new to that, they won't pose a problem."

He told me about the oni. "Except for her small size, Suika's fairly typical for an oni, although she's strong even by their standards. Oni are generally hard partiers and heavy drinkers, and they love contests, especially those involving combat. Suika's the only one I know of who lives above ground; all the other oni live in the Ancient City, although there are a couple who come above ground sometimes."

He told me about gods. "I know the outside world has many different ideas about gods, but they're pretty much all wrong to at least some extent. Gods are just another type of youkai, although there are a few ways in which they differ from other youkai. Other youkai, as well as humans with power, must learn the use of their abilities to at least some extent. Gods naturally have full mastery of their powers. Gods' natures lie in specific aspects of the world such as the earth or the sky, or specific events of the world, such as the harvest. There are also gods of things such as curses. But the most important difference between gods and other youkai is faith. Gods derive their power from people's faith in them; the more faith they have, the stronger they are. Gods do not die as humans do, but gods with no faith cannot manifest themselves or their powers, which I'm told they consider to be the equivalent."

He also told me about locations. About the underground. "The oni live underground, in the Ancient City. There are also numerous lesser youkai, like the hell ravens. Which brings me to the fact that the underground used to be where Hell was; Hell was moved to its current location a long, long time ago. Don't ask me how that works or why it was done or anything. A lot of people, especially the ones living down there, still use 'hell' to refer to the former hell. It can get confusing. Although people, both down there and up here, often call the current Hell by a different name, too. Specifically, it's known as 'Sanzu', after the Sanzu River, which the souls of the dead must cross in order to reach Hell.

He told me about the mansion Eientei. "The woman in charge there, Kaguya, is immortal. Although you could say she's not really in charge; the rabbit Tewi is the one who's really in charge. All the rabbits there only listen to Kaguya because Tewi tells them to. So Kaguya is effectively in charge, but only because Tewi lets her be. As for the place itself, they've got a really good 'hospital' set up there, but that's really all I know about it."

He told me about the Scarlet Devil Mansion. "Well, as I said, the mistress of the mansion, Remilia Scarlet, is a vampire. The place is staffed by a bunch of fairies, apparently. Nobody really knows all that much about the place, except perhaps for Reimu and Marisa, but if they do, they're not telling. Anyways, the place generally keeps to itself, so if there was a disappearance there, it's quite likely that nobody outside the mansion would know about it."

And he told me about many other things, until eventually we got to what seemed like it was something important. "What," I asked, "is this 'danmaku' you keep mentioning?"

"Well," Nol said, "um, I'm not really sure how to best go about this part. I was hoping Suika'd be back by now so she could help, but she's not. I can't actually do danmaku myself-when I said I have no power, I meant absolutely none-and it'll be hard to give you a lesson in it without someone who can."

At that moment, the door swung open, and a… strange-looking young girl walked in. I understood that many youkai species, such as the oni, look at least a little bit different than humans, but this girl was different in a different way. Her form was human, but… well, she was clearly artificial.

The strange girl entered the shrine, what looked like a doll floating alongside her. "Hi," she said. "Is Marisa here? She wasn't at her house."

"She left," I said. "But before you come barging into places with questions, perhaps you should introduce yourself."

"Okay. I'm Medicine."

"Medicine Melancholy," Nol said. "Reimu told me about you."

"Oh? And who're you? No, wait, who cares? You said Marisa left?"

"She went to catch up with Reimu."

"Then I have to follow her! Where'd she go?"

"Just flew off in the same general direction as Reimu," I said. "We don't really know where she is. Why are you so eager to find her, anyways?"

"Because I need her to help me bring more dolls to life!"

Nol did not seem fazed at all by this statement, and I suppose it was far from the first strange thing I'd run into since arriving in Gensokyo. From Nol's lack of a reaction, I inferred that things such as that are common in Gensokyo; it seemed as though I had a few things to get used to. "Hold on," I said. "Bring dolls to life?"

"It happened to me," Medicine said.

_So that's what she is. A doll._ "And how did you come to life?"

"It happens," Nol said. "Objects cast away can, given time, become youkai. I think I mentioned the umbrella girl; she's an example of this. So is Medicine here."

"I see. And you say you want to bring others to life like you, Medicine?"

"Yeah! Alice told me that's the only way they can be free!"

"Um… what?" was all the reply I could manage.

"Medicine's trying for the 'emancipation of dolls'," Nol explained. "The fact that dolls usually aren't alive has never seemed to matter to her before now."

"I see. And who's this 'Alice'?"

"She's a magician who lives fairly close to Marisa. In particular, she makes and controls dolls. Medicine's never liked her, of course. So why the sudden change, Medicine?"

"Because she helped me," the doll replied. "I still don't like her, but she helped me. I just have to learn to copy my image, then I just need to go to Yukari, then I can bring them to life and free them!"

More names and terms I didn't know. Nol seemed to, though. "Wait, copy your image? Even I know that's pretty advanced magic. Can you even use magic?"

"Of course I can! Watch!"

Medicine started to do… something, but Nol interrupted her. "Nonono, that's not what I meant. Not your power. Magic like what Alice and Marisa use. Can you even learn to you magic at all?"

"Why couldn't I?"

Nol didn't seem to have an answer to that one. "Um… I don't know, actually. I guess I just wouldn't think a doll could. I suppose you may or may not be able to. I don't know. But even if you can, taking your image is supposed to be high-level. It'd take a lot of training before you could do that. Is that why you're looking for Marisa?"

"Yeah, but I can't find her. I'll have to try that book-lady. Bye!"

"Hold on," Nol said.

"Huh?"

"You have good timing. Orphan here is new to Gensokyo. I'd like to give her a crash course on danmaku, but I can't actually do any danmaku. Could I get you to help? I know enough to explain everything, but it's kind of hard to get the idea across with just words, so can I get you to demonstrate a few things?"

"Oh, sure. Just tell Marisa about me the next time you see her, all right?"

"I can do that. Now, at first, I'll want you to just fire off into the air. We can give Orphan some practice later on, but she should know the basics first."

"Okay."

"Well, then," Nol said, "let's get to work."

_

* * *

_

Hi. I'm Medicine. I'm a doll that came to life. I'm told that this happens sometimes, but I don't understand it, and I don't know how it happened.

_I came to life on a hill covered in suzuran, a kind of flower. People said the hill was 'the Nameless Hill', which I thought meant nobody's named it, but it turns out that 'Nameless Hill' is actually its name. Kind of weird, if you ask me._

_I talk to Su-the flowers-all the time. Some people think it's weird to talk to flowers, but there's somebody in them. They just don't stay long enough to hear her. I guess they can't, though, 'cause suzuran are poisonous to both humans and youkai. I can't get poisoned 'cause I'm a doll._

_I think maybe Su brought me to life, but she doesn't know. But I think she did it, because I got her power. And you dumb people are wondering what power flowers have, but you're dumb, because I already told you. Su's poisonous. That's the power. Poison._

_I don't have many friends. I always spend most of my time with Su, but most people get poisoned, and I can't take poison out of them. There's a few people I'm friends with, though. There's that weird Yuuka lady, who isn't poisoned because Su's flowers and flowers can't hurt her. Then there's that rabbit girl Reisen. Apparently she got some medicine from someone called Eirin that protects her from suzuran poison. And there's Sakuya, who says she got the same medicine. She's weird. She keeps coming to get Su's poison to put in tea. She says she works for someone who can't get poisoned._

_They're not the only people I've met. I met all kinds of people one day, and most of them attacked me. I thought it was mean, but Yuuka tells me Gensokyo's always been like that, and this 'danmaku' stuff isn't supposed to be too dangerous anyways. I thought it was, but I guess they didn't mean to hurt me, so it's okay. Those people aren't my enemies. That weird Shiki lady was okay, too, although I didn't really understand what she said. Except that I'm trying to do something good now. I'm trying to free other dolls._

_People act like dolls are just toys, but they're not. I'm proof of that, aren't I? Nobody thinks it's okay to use a person as a toy, but dolls are people, too. I'm proof of that, too. But I don't hate people for thinking dolls are toys. They're not being mean, are they? They grew up thinking that dolls are toys, that dolls aren't alive. They never knew any different. They may think something bad, but they don't know it's bad, so they're not bad. They just need me to show them that it's bad. Then they'll stop it, right?_

_But some aren't like that. That Alice girl isn't. She makes dolls and takes control of them. She's even worse than most. And she makes new ones just so she has more to control. And she'll even blow them up! I thought she had to be bad, but then she helped me. She told me how to free dolls. I still don't really like her, but now I just can't figure her out at all. I guess she wants to bring them to life, but why would she want to free dolls when she makes them? But she told me how to do it, and I know it works, because I saw it work. I just need to learn how to do it. But I don't want her to teach me. I still don't like her. I thought Marisa could, but she wasn't home, and she wasn't at Reimu's shrine place, either, so now I'll have to find that book-lady Sakuya talks about. But whatever. I have time, right? I'm a doll. I don't get old. Who cares if it takes a while? I don't even have to go right now. I can stay and help first, right? Besides, I'm better at danmaku now, and it's kind of fun._

_I can stop for a little fun, right?_

* * *

Eirin had insisted on being alone with Rumia. Cirno had insisted that Eirin let her be there, too, but Eirin said no. But Cirno wouldn't take no for an answer. So Eirin'd had Reisen make her vision go all strange, and she'd kept running into walls. Eirin and Rumia were gone by the time she could see straight again. So now she and the others were just sitting in a room Eirin had let them use, waiting. And Cirno wasn't happy about it.

"Really, Cirno," Daiyousei said, "calm down."

"Shut up, Dai," Cirno said. "Rumia's hurt, and I can't even be there with her."

"Eirin'll take care of her," Mystia said.

"Yeah? And how do you know?"

"Because I've been in her care before."

"Okay," Wriggle said, "what? When did that happen?"

"Just before we met Cirno. Some dumb drunk human jerk got pissed off and magiced me bad. This weird fire-lady scared him off, then took me here and had Eirin fix me. How else do you think Kaguya got to try my eel? I made Eirin some to say thanks, and she gave some to Kaguya, and Kaguya loved it."

"But you were okay?"

"Of course I was, Wriggle," Mystia said. "I wouldn't be fine now if I wasn't okay then. So don't worry, Cirno. Rumia's in good hands."

"I still want to be there for her," Cirno said.

"I know, Cirno, but-"

Someone walked into the room. "Ah, there you are! I've been looking all over for you! Stupid Reisen, not telling me where you were. There'll be payback. Oh, yes, there will."

"Um, excuse me," Dai said, "but who are you?"

"Oh, me?" the rabbit girl said. "I'm Tewi. I've heard you're quite the troublemakers. I've met Mystia already, of course, and she's told me about some of your shenanigans."

"Shenana-whatsits?" Cirno said

"You play tricks on people," Tewi said. "Pranks. You'd gotten up to some fun stuff, haven't you? I've been wanting to meet you for a while now."

"Why?" Wriggle asked.

"Well, see, I'm rather fond of playing tricks myself. You do some good stuff. Especially you, Cirno. Mystia says you come up with the ideas, and you've had some good ones. Better then a lot of mine, and I've pulled off some great ones myself." She was getting really excited. "Just think about what we could pull off if we worked together! Come on, whaddaya think?"

"So," Cirno said, her mood improving at meeting a fellow prankster, "you're saying you want to help us pull pranks on people?" Tewi nodded. "Cool. You can join the gang, then. Once Rumia's back and we're done with all this, we'll do something awesome to celebrate!"

"Actually," Tewi said, "since you four have some time on your hands at the moment, how about we go do something right now? I've got a great idea to get back at Reisen, but it's not something I can do alone."

Cirno was suddenly serious again. "Now? While Rumia's still hurt?"

"Yeah. This won't disrupt Eirin, don't worry. It'll only get Reisen."

"No."

Everyone just stared at her. "Um, Cirno," Dai said, "what did you say?"

"I'm not doing anything like that while Rumia's hurt. And I'm done just sitting here, too!"

"Woah," Wriggle said. "Um, this isn't like you, Cirno."

"What isn't? The fact that I care more about my friend than about some stupid prank? Because I do! So I'm going to her, and that's that!" She walked up to Tewi. "Do you know where she is?"

Tewi replied without hesitation. "To reach the medical wing, return to the entrance and go from there. The way is clearly marked."

"And once I'm there?"

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you that."

"You call yourself a prankster, but you're willing to let a little 'don't say this' order stop you? Maybe you're not so great after all."

Tewi sighed. "Of course I'm not going to let that stop me, you moron. I meant that I don't know the exact room Eirin's using. You really shouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions, you know. Besides, I can still help you get there." The rabbit placed her hands on Cirno's shoulders. There was briefly a faint glow, and then Tewi removed her hands. "There you go. A little luck should make finding the right room easy. When you get to the medical wing, trust your instincts. Don't think about which way to go; just go the first way that comes to mind. I can't guarantee that you'll get it right on the first guess, but it shouldn't take too long. Hurry, though; the luck I gave you won't last long."

"Thanks," Cirno said as she ran out the door.

"Energetic little thing, isn't she?" Tewi remarked as she turned her attention to the other three. "Is she always like that?"

"Energetic, certainly," Daiyousei said, "but I've never seen her act quite like that before."

"She's just worried. It's nothing unusual. This is hardly the first time I've seen a patient's friend or family member act like that."

"And you're not worried Eirin'll be mad at you?"

Tewi laughed. "Girl, if people like us really worried about making people mad, we wouldn't do what we do. 'Sides, I'm the one in charge here. Everyone only listens to Eirin and Kaguya because I tell them to. So if I decide to have a little fun, there's really not much they can do about it, now, is there? 'Sides, pissing Eirin off is fun."

"And you're not upset that Cirno told you to wait on your prank?"

"Oh, no. Why would I be? I've got patience, and holding off will make things even better.

"What do you mean?" Wriggle asked.

"Cirno said she wants something special for when Rumia's better, right? Well, I've got a little plan I've been working on for when I got to meet all of you, and what I have in mind for Reisen should slot in quite nicely and make the whole thing even better. So I'll hold off on getting back at Reisen for now, because if we can pull this one off, the wait will be more than worth it."

* * *

Mokou, it seemed, had been correct. The results of Eirin's examination of this 'Rumia' had matched completely with what the immortal girl had said. And Eirin had managed to figure out a few additional things, too. But now she faced a dilemma: what should she tell Cirno?

She had to tell Cirno at least some portion of the truth. If she was right, then keeping the ice fairy completely in the dark could end up being a very bad idea. But revealing everything probably wasn't the best idea, either, and not just because Cirno probably wouldn't believe it. Cirno's affection for Rumia was obvious, although the fairy's friends, Rumia included, seemed to have missed it. If Cirno knew what was really happening…

Eirin carefully came up with a plan of what to tell Cirno, then left the room and went to go get her.

* * *

Nobody objected to Cirno walking through the mansion; she and her friends had been given a room to wait in, but they'd never been required to stay there. Nobody objected to her entering the medical wing, either, as she had never been required to stay out of the entire wing. But if she tried to go beyond the front area, someone probably would object. Not that she was about to let that stop her; she'd snuck past people before, and this wouldn't be any different. Except that she wasn't expecting Eirin to walk out of one of the halls.

Fortunately, Cirno'd just entered the wing, and was still in the waiting area, so she didn't look suspicious. But Eirin's gaze stopped on her anyways, and the white-haired woman walked over to her. "Ah, Cirno. Perfect timing. And you're by yourself, too, I see. Excellent. Come with me, please. I need to talk to you about Rumia."

That, of course, worried Cirno, and the fairy followed closely behind Eirin. The woman led her into what appeared to be a fairly large office. "Sit down, please."

Cirno didn't like normal chairs-her wings made sitting comfortably in a normal chair difficult-but there were also a couple stools, and Cirno sat down on one of them.

"Hold on for a second, please," Eirin said. She placed a hand atop Cirno's head and closed her eyes. Cirno felt weird for a few seconds, then Eirin opened her eyes and removed her hand. "There. Thank you."

Eirin took her seat behind the desk. "All right, then. First of all, as far as I've been able to tell, Rumia's just fine. She's certainly unharmed physically, and I didn't find any normal signs of magical effects-in fact, she's fully aware, and I've already gotten her own description of the… events, shall we say. However, there was an _un_usual sign of a magical effect."

"So that thing did do something to her!"

"Actually, I doubt it. Nothing newly placed could evade detection so well; even the best-concealed effects need at least some time to… settle in, let's say. Some effects take longer than others, of course, and the more skilled the caster, the less time it takes, as well, but there is an observed minimum time, and it's only been about half that time, I think, since you encountered the creature. I do, however, think that it was involved in Rumia's pain, but not by doing anything to her.

"Rumia's pain was caused by the creature's attack against you."

It took a few seconds for what Eirin said to register. "Wait, what? You think it hurt Rumia by hurting me? That's crazy!"

"Not as crazy as it may seem."

"Yeah? Well, it seems pretty damn crazy. How does me getting hurt make her hurt?"

"There is a connection between you two," Eirin explained. "What I found in Rumia, followed by her description of the battle, suggested only the one explanation, and what I did when you sat down confirmed it."

"Um… what?"

"The effect in Rumia has been damaged. Only very minorly damaged, yes, but still damaged. It was that damage that allowed me to detect it, and once I did, once I knew what to look for, I was able to sense the effect within her. When you sat down, I looked for effects within you, and what I found is exactly what I expected to find-which is why it only took a few seconds, rather than the almost-an-hour I spent looking within Rumia. I knew what I was looking for this time, not in effect, but in… well, feel, I guess. What's within you and what's within Rumia are two sides of the same effect. Any effect has… well, it's known as a 'signature'. Every magical effect has a unique one; even if it's the same magic used again by the same person, it'll have a new signature. If you know the signature, finding the magic in its target is extremely simple, although since the only way to know a signature is to sense the magic, this isn't useful very often. But in the case of two or more separate targets, such as you and Rumia, the effects are actually part of the same magic, and thus have the same signature. So after finding one part of the spell, detecting its other parts becomes easy. You still have to figure out the targets, of course, but you can tell quickly if the effect is indeed there once you do."

"Um… what?"

"Sorry," Eirin said. "Basically, you and Rumia have a connected magical effect within you. I haven't been able to identify its function, but I do know that it's acting differently within each one of you-identifying this difference is why I needed several seconds instead of just an instant. Specifically, the portion within you is maintaining the portion within Rumia. Without the part in you, the part in Rumia will fade."

Cirno gave the same reply again. "Um… what?"

"Your effect keeps Rumia's effect there. But yours has the same slight damage as Rumia's. What I believe happened is that when the creature injured you, it somehow damaged your effect. I don't know how it happened. Your effect seems to be the kind that should survive anything you do. Only if you truly die will it end-of course, since you're a fairy, you just come back when you die, so the effect remains unchanged and active within you. There are ways to damage or destroy such effects, of course, but the damage within you and Rumia isn't consistent with any of them. So I don't know how it happened, but the monster's attack somehow slightly damaged the effect within you, and that damage somehow carried over to Rumia. Again, I have absolutely no idea how it happened; damage to a maintaining effect should only affect its ability to maintain the effect it is maintaining. It doesn't cause symmetrical damage in the maintained effect, but that's what seems to have happened in your case."

"Um… okay," Cirno said, "you're being really confusing, but I think you're saying that there's a spell on us, my part keeps her part there, the monster damaged my part, and the damage carried over to her part. Oh, and that my part should stay there even when I die and resurrect."

Eirin nodded. "That's at least the very basics, yes."

"One problem with your little theory: I only had physical pain. But you said Rumia's body was fine. So her pain was in her mind. Why didn't I have pain in my mind?"

Eirin seemed surprised. "Ah, it seems you're a little smarter than I thought. You're correct; Rumia's pain was mental. The reason you didn't have that pain is because your effect isn't actually affecting you; it's affecting Rumia's effect. So she actually felt your effect's damage as well as that of her own."

"She hurt because my effect got hurt?"

"In part, yes."

"Then that stupid thing hurt her twice," Cirno said. "Oh, you better believe I'm coming for you, you piece of shit. I'll find a way to beat you, and then you're going DOWN."

"I'd recommend exercising caution," Eirin said.

"Screw caution! That thing hurt Rumia!"

"I didn't mean don't go after it. I would say that, but it's obvious you wouldn't listen to me. So I'm simply saying to be cautious when you do. It beat you once; if you fight it, be certain you have a way to make sure it doesn't beat you again."

"Fine," Cirno said. "I don't plan to fight that thing again until I know how to beat it, anyways. Can I see Rumia?"

"Certainly. One of the nurses was sent for her; she should be out in the waiting area."

"Then I'm going to her," Cirno said as she stood up.

Cirno headed for the door, but Eirin still had something to say. "Cirno?"

The fairy stopped and turned around. "What?"

"Stay close to Rumia," Eirin said, "and be careful. I don't know exactly what's happening to you two, and I don't know what the effect is actually doing, but now that it's been damaged once, it will be damaged more easily from now on, and may even deteriorate on its own-there are too many unknowns at this point for me to actually know. But I do know that regardless of what happens to the effect, it will involve both of you. So if you want to get through this, then you need to stick together. Understand?"

"You don't have to tell me that," Cirno said. "Oh, and, um… uh… well, I… um, thanks for helping her." And with that, she left the office, hurrying out to the waiting area. To Rumia.

* * *

"Okay, Medicine," Nol said, "give us just a brief basic spray, all right?"

"Okay," Medicine said. She, Nol, and myself were standing outside the shrine. Medicine aimed diagonally upwards and released multiple small magical projectiles forwards. The projectiles weren't all fired straight ahead; they were fired at forward angles, the angles varying seemingly at random.

"That," Nol told me as Medicine ceased firing, "is danmaku."

"It doesn't look that special to me," I said. "That was simply multiple projectile shots."

"There's more to it than that. Those shots-also commonly called 'bullets', which I'm told is a term from the outside world, so if you recognize it, that's why-are a special variety in that they're less destructive than normal 'attack' magic."

I was beginning to understand. "So danmaku is used to fight without the risk of injury or death."

"Not quite," Nol said. "Danmaku's less dangerous, sure but it can still injure you and even kill you, although I haven't heard of anyone but fairies actually being killed by it, and they resurrect anyways. And some of the nastier stuff can be quite, well, nasty. You remember that 'Master Spark' Marisa did? That's an example of danmaku that can do major damage."

"So," I said, "danmaku is essentially weakened magical projectiles."

Nol nodded. "Very basically, yes. Danmaku battles, also referred to as spellcard duels, are, as one would expect, battles fought with danmaku. Battles are very common in Gensokyo; the danmaku system was designed as a way to allow such battles to happen but make them less destructive. The system's been in place for quite some time, and it seems to work fairly well."

Nol pulled a card of some kind out of his pocket and handed it to me. I took it and examined it. Both sides of the card had an identical image, that of a generic person with several of these danmaku bullets surrounding it. "Use this to learn what danmaku feels like to use," Nol said. "It should be easy to fire your own danmaku once you know that. First, fire a regular magic blast at Medicine-sorry, Med, but this won't work if she doesn't have something to target, and you can tell us what the hit felt like. And you're more durable than I am."

I did as told, although I kept the blast weak to avoid harming Medicine. Still, it of course wasn't completely harmless. Medicine, however, shrugged it off without difficulty. "Yeah, definitely a regular blast. A weak one, but still a regular one."

"Okay, then" Nol said. "Now use the card."

"All right," I said. "How do I use it?"

"Ah, I, um…"

"Send your power into it," Medicine said. "When you do so, words will come to your mind. Say them."

I did as instructed, focusing my power on the card. And as Medicine had said, words did indeed come into my mind. As instructed, I spoke them. "Instruction: Danmaku's Sense!"

The results were… interesting. As I spoke, the card began glowing, and it disappeared as I finished. Then several shots spun out from my position and formed a circle around me, remaining for a few seconds before vanishing. Obviously, the card had somehow done this, and yet… well, it felt just as it would have had I formed them on my own. Using my power to activate the card-obviously one of these 'spellcards' Nol had mentioned-had the same effect, including power used, as producing the card's effect on my own would have.

"That was… interesting," I said.

"I'll go into what that was shortly," Nol said. "Right now, just recall what the shots you produced felt like, and fire one off at Medicine." I did so. "Medicine?"

"Danmaku," the doll said. "Definitely danmaku."

"I felt the difference," I said. "You're right; it was easy after that spellcard, as I'm assuming it was."

"Good," Nol said. "It worked as described, then. Reimu said that card was intended for teaching newcomers-a lot of them arrive somewhere around the shrine-but I've never actually had to do that myself before."

"I see." I fired a few more danmaku shots into the air, then tried a basic spray like Medicine had done. Then I tried a few basic patterns, starting with firing lines of bullets. I then formed bullets into circles and fired them in that shape. I then did it with star shapes, and square shapes, and a few others. Then I tried something else. I fired more lines, but this time, instead of simply letting them go, I kept my power on them and changed their directions mid-flight. I experimented with this in different ways, including mixing them with shots I didn't keep influence over.

"You're picking this up quickly," Nol said.

"It's familiar. Another remnant of my forgotten past, most likely; I would assume that I knew how to do it before."

"If you're from Gensokyo, then yes, you undoubtedly did. Anyways, now that you know how to do danmaku, let's move on to spellcards."

* * *

Flying towards Yukari's, Alice was alone.

It wasn't fair. She'd finally succeeded in bringing Shanghai to life, and the other seven, too! She wanted to stay with them, to spend time with them, to get to know them. To just be with them. But she couldn't, and that hurt her more than anything else ever had. And so she did something that she never did.

By herself, flying to Yukari's, Alice cried.

* * *

They could all feel it, but they weren't sure what was happening. "Okay," London said, "does anyone have any ideas?"

"I… think it's emotional," Hourai said. "Emotions."

"Sadness," Moscow said. "I think it's sadness."

"Are you sad?" Nogales asked. "Because I'm not, but I feel it anyways."

"It's like the feeling is real, but it's someone else's," Copenhagen said.

It was Shanghai who figured it out. "It's Mother."

"The connection," Hourai said softly. "Of course."

"The connection?" Guadalupe said. "Wait, you mean the enchantment Mother used to bring us to life?"

"We're feeling her emotions through it, and she can probably feel ours as well. Before we were alive, we of course couldn't feel it, and we had no emotions for Mother to feel. She probably never realized it."

"Or maybe it wasn't there until now," Holland put in. "Maybe what Mother did to give us life changed it somehow."

"Okay," London said, "so we're feeling Mother's emotions. So why is she sad?"

"Us," Shanghai said. "She's sad because she had to leave us."

* * *

Alice flew on, still in tears, completely oblivious to what her children had just discovered.

* * *

"Why is she still upset?" Holland asked. "Can't she feel our emotions, too?"

"Maybe she can't," Copenhagen said. "We have no way of knowing if the effect is two-way."

"She can," Hourai said. "Links like this are almost never one-way."

"Well," London said, "you're the magic expert. But then why is she still upset? Can't she feel our worry? Our concern? Our love?"

It was again Shanghai who realized the answer. "She doesn't know. She doesn't know about the link."

"Neither did we," Guadalupe said, "but we felt her anyways."

"We're newly living. Mother isn't. She may be so used to herself the way she knows that she simply hasn't noticed that she can feel our emotions."

"Then we need something she can't fail to notice," Hourai said.

"Pain," Copenhagen said.

"I doubt she'll feel our pain. This doesn't seem to be a physical link."

"Maybe she won't feel the physical pain, but if one or more of us is in pain, she should feel our feeling of pain, right?"

"Actually," Hourai said, "I think you're right. This might just work."

"I'll take the hit," Holland said. "I'm built for durability. Copenhagen, you're the physical model. You deliver the hit."

"I should take the hit," Guadalupe said. "You're built for durability, Holland; it won't hurt you as much."

"Assuming we can actually feel pain," Nogales said.

"Medicine can," London said. "Mother told us about her when she found out how to use her to bring us to life, remember? Mother said that she feels pain. So we should, too."

"Right, then," Guadalupe said. "Copenhagen, don't worry about damaging me. Mother won't need me on this for a while, so it's okay if I'm out of action for a bit. Besides, Nogales can fix me up, right, Nogales?"

Nogales nodded. "Mother included that knowledge in my memory banks on my creation, and she's updated it as she's refined her techniques. There are no doubt differences now that we're alive, but there shouldn't be a problem. And Mother won't know the differences yet, either. I can't stop it from taking time, though, although once Mother returns, she will no doubt be able to speed the work, especially since I can assist her."

"Just say 'yes'," Moscow said.

"Right," Guadalupe said. "Copenhagen, whenever you're ready."

Copenhagen led Guadalupe outside. "Here, now we won't damage the house. Sorry about this." Then she grabbed Guadalupe and threw the other doll over her shoulder, slamming her into the ground with extreme force.

_What the hell?_

* * *

Alice came to a stop in midair. _What is this?_ She was feeling… something. _Pain? No, not pain. I'm not hurt. Not physically._ But she felt… not like she was in pain, but… like she felt when she was in pain? She was feeling like that even though she wasn't actually in pain. _As though this is someone else's pain. But how could I be-wait, what the hell?_

There was more than just pain there. _More feelings that aren't mine?_ There was… _Concern?_ And more. _Love? What is-_

And then it hit her. _My children. It's the magical link! The one I used to send Medicine's image into them! We're… connected, and not just magically like I expected. Somehow we're connected emotionally, too. But was this there from the start, or did something I did in giving them life change it?_ But no, that didn't matter. If one of her children was in pain, then she needed to go back. She needed to-

More feelings cut off her motion back to her house. _Assurance? No, of course, one's hurt. They're worried about-now what? That's… exasperation? What is-_ Once again, it hit her. _It's not about them. The connection's two-way. They sensed my feelings. But then why the pain? Why the… the sudden pain. Of course. They felt the connection before I did, and used sudden pain to draw my attention to it._

* * *

"I think she's figured it out," Shanghai said. They were in the workshop now; Copenhagen had brought Guadalupe straight there, and Nogales was already getting to work.

"Mostly superficial," Nogales said, her concentration fully on Guadalupe. "That was a smart choice, Copenhagen. The pain was major, but there hasn't been any major damage to any area, just a lot of lesser damage all over. Repairs may take time, if only because there's more parts in need of repair, but it shouldn't be too difficult."

"That's good," Guadalupe said, her pain not interfering with her speech, "but we should talk about Mother. I think she may still intend to return."

"Then we'll try something else," Hourai said. "The link may be more than just emotional. If I try to reach her with words, she may be able to hear me."

* * *

Alice was about to start back, but again, she was stopped by something new. _What was that? Did I just hear something?_ She looked around. _I don't see any-there it is again._ And then again. So Alice, expecting it to come a fourth time, kept alert. But when it came, it didn't sound like it was coming from anywhere. It was more like it was coming from-_from inside my head._ So she focused on the link, on the emotions of her children. And when it came again, she heard it clearly.

[_Mother, can you hear me?_]

__

Thoughts. No, not thoughts. Not random thoughts. They're trying deliberately to contact me. Can we send thoughts along the link?

Alice decided to try it. [_Hello?_]

* * *

"Got her!" Hourai exclaimed. Unnecessarily, though, as the other seven also heard their mother's response. [_Mother, it's Hourai. Can you hear me?]_

* * *

[_Mother, it's Hourai. Can you hear me?_]

_It worked!_ [_I hear you,_] Alice… well, 'said' wasn't the right word. 'Sent', perhaps. [_I feel you, too. Can you…_]

Hourai apparently didn't need her to finish the question. [_Yes. We all can. The link is two-way. Mother, please don't worry about us. You don't need to worry._]

[_We're with you, it seems,_] a different-sounding 'voice'-if their physical and mental 'voices' sounded the same, then this was Moscow-replied. [_We know you don't want to be separate from us, but please, don't abandon what you have to do. We understand._]

[_Besides,_] another-London, it 'sounded' like-sent, [_it seems we're actually not really all that separate, anyways._]

Alice didn't know how to reply. [_I…_]

[_Go,_] another-Shanghai-sent. [_You've only left physically. We're still together. You can do what you need to do and still remain with us. So go._]

And she did. And as she resumed her trip to Yukari's, she resumed something else as well. But for a different reason this time. This time, Alice's tears were not from sadness.

* * *

"Spellcards," Nol said, "were originally developed for use by magicians. Some spells take extensive preparation or things like that, and spellcards were developed as a way to get around this.

"A spellcard, as I understand it, is basically an empty vessel. Magicians would take their spells, conditions included, and impress them into spellcards. When a spell is impressed into a spellcard, that card can be used at any time to produce the impressed spell. Spellcards appear to vanish when they're used, but they're actually reusable. Picture the card in your mind." I did so, and all of a sudden, the card I'd used was floating in front of me. "See?" he said as he grabbed it.

"Okay, so then why did it vanish?"

"Because that's built into the card. Some spellcards-mainly danmaku spellcards-have that effect, but others don't. The effect is meant to simplify storage of danmaku cards, which you'd otherwise have to keep on your person at all times. I don't know how it works, but it lets you call up the card at any time by picturing it, and when you use the card, it automatically returns to… wherever it was before you called it up. That way, you can have them at your disposal at any time without having to carry them around."

"Makes sense," I said. "But what role do they play in danmaku?"

"Simple," Nol said. "Using spellcards lets you produce more intricate and complex bullet patters more easily in the middle of battle. Intracate, complex patterns are generally harder to avoid, and thus more effective. The problem is that forming such patterns takes time and concentration. By impressing them into spellcards, they can be used in battle without that time and concentration-although like any spellcard, it'll take just as much out of you.

"Now, the trick with spellcards is that they're not very flexible. Variation can be included in the impression so that the spellcard isn't absolutely identical every time it's used-you know, like slightly changing bullet angles or that sort of thing. But even so, it is the same spellcard every time it's used. Basic patterns, such as the spray Medicine showed us-incidentally, that's not a good way to go in battle; random sprays may look harder to avoid at first, but they're actually considered to be among the easiest to dodge. Anyways, basic patters are more flexible; since you're making it at the moment, you can change things up as much as you're able to. That's where the trick lies, in knowing when to go with simpler and less dense but more flexible basic patterns and when to use spellcards."

"I see."

"Right, then," Nol said. "In addition to the learning spellcard, I grabbed some empty cards, too. Here." He handed them to me; these ones, unlike the one he'd handed me earlier, were blank. "Let's see if we can't work out at least a couple spellcards for you, then you and Medicine can have a practice match."

"A good idea, I think," I said.

"In that case, let's get to it."

* * *

The others, Tewi included, met Cirno and Rumia outside. "I told you she'd be fine," Mystia said.

"Whatever," Cirno said. "Oh, wait, introductions. Rumia, the rabbit here is Tewi. Say hi; she's the newest member of the team."

"Um, hi," Rumia said.

"Hey," Tewi said. "Eirin get you all fixed up?"

"I'm fine," Rumia said. Cirno had filled Rumia in on everything Eirin had told her, but the two, not really understanding what it was, had decided not to tell the others.

"Good," Tewi said. "Glad to hear it. right, then. Where are you headed?"

"We've decided to stay together at my place," Mystia said.

"Right, then. I don't think I'll be staying there with you, but I'll go with you now. We've got something to talk about, anyways."

"We do?" Cirno said. "What?"

"She's got an idea for some big prank," Mystia explained as the group started off towards her home. "I'd assume that's what it is."

"Yep," Tewi said.

"Not yet," Cirno said. "We need to deal with that monster first. It hurt Rumia, and I'm not letting it get away with that."

"Um, Cirno," Daiyousei said, "we couldn't beat it."

"Then we'll have to find a way to."

"And how are we to go about doing that?"

"I think I know," Tewi said. "You live at Misty Lake, right, Cirno?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So you know of the Scarlet Devil Mansion located on an island in the middle of the lake. That place includes a massive library that's supposed to have books on everything there is."

"Yeah, I've heard that," Cirno said, "but that place isn't exactly friendly. I don't think they'll let us in."

"Girl," Tewi said, "do you really think we can't handle something like that? That door guard of theirs isn't supposed to be so tough, anyways, so we can just beat her up."

"I can beat her by myself," Cirno said. "It's the ones inside that are the problem. I'm the strongest, but they have all sorts of mean tricks, and they're not afraid to play dirty or team up on you or anything. Hell, that crazy maid lady alone can stop time! How are we supposed to deal with that?"

"Really, girl? You don't think we can give 'em a distraction?"

"We've tried," Wriggle said. "We've targeted them a couple times. It's never gone well."

"Yeah, but this time you've got me. Here's how we'll do it."

As she listened to Tewi's plan, a grin spread across Cirno's face. "That's perfect," she said when the rabbit was finished. "That's absolutely perfect. You know what, Tewi? I think we're gonna enjoy having you around. Let's do it."

* * *

"That," Nol said, "was impressive."

"Damn," Medicine said, "and here I thought I'd have an easy win."

Medicine and I had concluded our practice match, and I had emerged victorious. The spellcards I'd devised worked quite well. And as with the basic patterns, making spellcard patterns felt quite familiar. In fact, everything about danmaku was familiar, and as a result, my skill level was far above that of someone who was truly new to it. I found it quite unlikely that I was equal to my former level, but I was hardly starting from scratch.

"It looks like you've got the hang of it," Nol said. "Thanks for the help, Medicine. I'll get word to Marisa that you were looking for her."

"Thanks," Medicine said. "Okay, I should go. Su's probably wondering what happened to me. Bye!"

"Well," Nol said, "that concludes the lesson on danmaku. I think you'll do just fine."

"Yeah," Suika-she'd returned during the match-said, "you're pretty good. I've definitely got to have a fight with you sometime."

"Is fighting like that really that common here?" I asked.

"Suika's especially fond of fighting," Nol said, "even for an oni. She's not the norm. That being said, yes, combat is common in Gensokyo. Generally, the rule is to shoot on sight, at least among the numerous lesser youkai, fairies in particular. Others'll generally at least talk to you before shooting at you, but yes, you'll need to get used to danmaku battle, because it's everywhere."

"It's the way things are done here," Suika said. "You have a dispute with someone, you fight, and the winner, well, wins."

"It was like that even before danmaku," Nol said. "The danmaku system was introduced to make all those fights a bit less destructive. They still wear you out just as much as regular stuff, though-in fact, a lot of people have non-danmaku versions of their favorite danmaku moves-and taking hits is still taking hits. Just remember that less dangerous is still dangerous."

I doubted battle was quite as prevalent as Nol made it sound, but it was probably better to err on the side of caution. "I'll keep those things in mind. Anyways, now that we've gone over danmaku, is there anything else I should know?"

"You're eager to get moving, then."

"I am."

"Well," Nol said, "no, I don't think so. I think we've covered the basics. You might want to stay here for now, though. Reimu's met pretty much everyone in Gensokyo, so even if she knows little about you, she should at least know your name. Although given how many people she deals with, she may not remember you if it's been a minimum of five years since she last saw you. In fact, now that I think about it, that's more likely. Marisa didn't really remember you, after all, and she's the same way. And I don't know when Reimu'll be back, anyways."

"I think I'll just get moving, then," I said.

"Actually, you should probably stay here tonight. You probably don't realize how long all this has taken, but it'll be dark soon."

"I am fine with sleeping in the wild."

"Well, it's more dangerous at night. Although if you're powerful enough to do that… whatever you did with the barrier, you'll probably be fine."

"Actually," I said, "I think it may be a good idea to stay here for the night, if only because I have yet to decide on a destination. I would also like to practice danmaku some more, and maybe figure out another spellcard or two, as well. So yes, I believe I will take advantage of your offer."

Mokou had remained near Eientei as Cirno's group had arrived. After they left, accompanied by Tewi-something that did not surprise her-Mokou entered the mansion herself and made her way to Eirin's office in the medical wing. Unlike the general staff, none of the medical staff were wary of her; she was a common sight in the medical wing, bringing in people who needed treatment.

* * *

"Ah, Mokou," Eirin said as Mokou entered her office. "Please, have a seat." Mokou did so. "Now, I assume you're here about Cirno and Rumia?"

"Correct."

"Well, you were right. I confirmed as much of it as I could, at least, so I see no reason to doubt the rest."

"What action did you take?"

"As you expected, I couldn't find any way to repair the damage. This 'Nolana' of yours is clearly as far beyond me as you said. I told them that I had found an effect within them that had been damaged, but that I couldn't identify its function-which is all true; I only know what it does because you told me. I also told them that the effect in them is linked. I said that I didn't know what was going on, but that if they wanted to get through it, the two of them needed to stick together-although I think that was Cirno's plan anyways."

"Good," Mokou said. "I don't know how this is going to turn out any more than you do, but…"

"I know," Eirin said. "And you at least know more than I do. I just hope you're right."

* * *

**Don't you just love it when someone throws a curve ball into the mix?**

**Anyways, new clues as to Orphan's identity will keep coming with new chapters (although you may have to look hard), so let's keep those guesses coming!**


	4. Chapter 4: Encounters

**Chapter 4  
**_Encounters_

It was still light out when Alice arrived at Yukari's, although it wouldn't be that way for long. Not that daylight had ever prevented Yukari from sleeping. This time, however, she was awake, and she exited her home as Alice landed.

"Hello, Yukari," Alice said.

"Alice. Glad to see it's a friendly visitor this time."

"I assume, then, that you had an unfriendly visitor. Was it one of them?"

"It was," Yukari said. "Just finished it off a few minutes ago. I suppose you could say you got lucky; I'm usually asleep by now."

"That would not have stopped me," Alice said. "Not this time. I need something from you, and I don't have time to wait."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"I think you already know the answer to that," Alice said. "I'm sure you know what these things are, and that means you know where they come from."

"I do. And I can't say I'm surprised that you intend to take action. But what, if I may ask, do you need my help for?"

"I need a way in," Alice said, "and I can't use the normal entrance. I don't want anyone there to know I've gotten involved."

"Ah, so you want me to send you in."

"Close. This isn't a one-time trip. I'll need a way in and out more than once. What I want is for you to open a portal there from my house and impress it into a spellcard so that I may use it as needed."

"I see," Yukari said. "Hmm… all right. What spot do you want it to lead to?"

Alice handed Yukari a blank spellcard. "Mekis."

"Hmm… a good choice, I suppose. All right, then. I'll be right back."

Alice had seen it before, but she still didn't really know how to describe it. Yukari made an… opening and passed through it, it closing behind her. A few moments later, she exited another. "Done." She handed Alice the no-longer-empty spellcard. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Alice took the card, and it vanished. She then handed Yukari another blank one. "I have something else that I would also like you to impress into a spellcard."

"Oh?"

"I assume you remember the enchantment you placed on the dolls I then sent underground with Marisa."

"Yes, yes I do. You want that in a spellcard?"

"Correct," Alice said.

"Well… all right, but why?"

"I may need to enchant more dolls in that manner, and I don't want to have to come to you every time I have that need."

"I see. Well, all right, then." Yukari concentrated, muttering a few words. The card glowed, and when the glowing stopped, it bore an image of a doll with some kind of aura around it. "Here you go," she said as she handed the card to Alice.

"Thank you. That concludes my business with you, so might I ask you so send me to my next destination? I must next visit the Temple of Myouren, and I would like to get there before night has truly fallen."

"I can do that," Yukari said, opening up another… thing. "Bye!" she called out as Alice passed through it.

* * *

When I decided on my initial destination, I informed Nol. "Um, uh, okay, well, um… okay, I know I said they keep to themselves, but I also said it's not exactly the safest place to go."

"I'm aware of that. But if I let that stop me, I wouldn't get anywhere. And it sounds like the Scarlet Devil Mansion is a good place to start, so that's where I'm going."

"I… suppose. Just… be careful."

"I know to be careful," I said. "I'll probably go it slow, too, maybe walk for a while instead of flying straight there. You know, take some time going through a new world."

"Um, okay. Won't help you at the SDM."

"I'll be careful, Nol."

"All right, fine. When are you going to leave?"

"Well, it's starting to get dark out. That doesn't bother me, but I might as well get some rest anyways. I'll probably be gone well before you're awake, though."

"Ah, so you don't need much sleep. Sounds like you're probably not human, then."

"Not a normal one, certainly. I believe I've already mentioned that my physical capabilities are beyond those of normal humans."

"Well, you wouldn't be the first human to get beyond those limits. How much sleep do you need, though? How long can you go without any?"

"I don't really know," I said. "I've never bothered to push myself to the limit. I do know that I can go without sleep for at least a couple days without it affecting me, but I've never gone beyond that."

"I see. Well, you're not unusual here in that area. Youkai in particular don't need nearly as much sleep as humans. How much is needed varies depending on the type of youkai in question; there are even some who don't need any sleep at all."

"I see. Is it certain that I'm not human, then?"

"Well, no. As I said, you wouldn't be the only human to… bypass the normal physical limitations of humans. I think it's more likely that you're a youkai, though."

"I'll keep that in mind. Hopefully, though, I won't have to wonder for long."

"Well, yeah, I suppose that's something you'll learn when you learn who you were."

I didn't correct Nol's statement; it didn't matter if he had a mistaken interpretation of this. However, I am not searching for who I was, but who I am. I may not remember that person, but she is still me, and I am her. I may perhaps be different now, but I am also still that person. I am both her and my current self, Orphan. That former self is me despite me knowing nothing about her. I am her, and that is why I want to know who she is. Who I am.

Nol continued on. "I still think you should wait for Reimu, though. At the very least, she might know your name, even if Marisa didn't."

"If that's all she knows," I said, "then I would rather not hear it."

"Um… okay, um, what?"

"The name is meaningless without knowledge of the person behind it. Learning my name would tell me nothing about myself. In addition, I do not feel that I have the right to know it yet. Only when I know who I am will I have the right to know my name."

"Oh," Nol said. "Well, okay then. Anyways, um, here." He handed me some more blank spellcards. "Take these. Don't worry about it; consider them yours. Giving them to newcomers is why we keep so many blank cards here in the first place."

"Right," I said. "Anyways, I'll be leaving as soon as I am awake, so allow me to take this opportunity to say goodbye, and thank you for your help."

* * *

The temple's main entrance was always kept open. This place turned no one away. Alice had been here before, but only a couple times, and she had not gotten used to its appearance. Byakuren had used Murasa's ship as the basis for the temple, which gave it a somewhat odd look.

Byakuren was in the main room, and she looked up as Alice entered. "Ah, Alice! Good to see you! What can I do for you this evening?"

"You probably know what this is regarding," Alice said.

"Yes, I suppose I do. I likely know what you're thinking, too, for I have been having such thoughts myself. You and I both know that something like this could not happen unless she allowed it, and we also know that she would never allow it."

This was true. In fact, Byakuren had known Alice's mother far longer than Alice herself had, so if anything, she knew this even better than Alice. Not that Alice had any doubts about it herself. "Both are true, yet it's also true that this is happening. Yes, the demons of Makai have entered Gensokyo before, but that incident was essentially peaceful. This one is not."

"The question, then, is: how is it that this is happening?"

"I don't know," Alice said, "but I intend to find out."

"You're going to Makai?"

"I am. I have already arranged a means by which I may gain entry unnoticed, but I now must handle the fact that despite my absence, my appearance is no doubt widely known."

"It was when I was freed," Byakuren said.

"There's also the fact that doing this myself would take far too long. There are simply too many places to look for information, especially if I want to remain inconspicuous. I have found a solution to that problem, and also to the one of me being recognized. I will be sending others in to gather information, only crossing over myself when I have a definite target."

"What 'others'?"

"Are you familiar with Medicine Melancholy?"

"I am," Byakuren said. "She's the doll that lives on the Nameless Hill."

"I was able to reproduce her coming to life within eight of my dolls. They will be assisting me."

"I… see."

"Like Medicine, each of them grew a new body upon becoming alive. The problem is the fact that, also like Medicine, they are accompanied at all times by the dolls that are their original selves. That might look suspicious. And there's the chance that someone might see the dolls and connect them to me, or worse, to see the doll with one of my children and think because of it that she is me in disguise. It would certainly attract attention, something I do not want them to do. So I need a way to… conceal what they truly are."

Byakuren understood. "The Seeds of Non-Identification."

"Yes."

"I see. Well, that can most certainly be arranged. Come, let us locate-"

Byakuren was cut off as one of the doors leading deeper inside opened and out came… Byakuren.

The first Byakuren looked at the new one and sighed. "Hello, Nue."

"Damn," the other Byakuren said, "you're out here? Man, that's no fun." And as she spoke, she changed. Where a perfect duplicate of Byakuren had been, there was now a young-looking woman in a mostly black outfit. She had short, black hair and red eyes, but most striking about her appearance were her odd-looking wings. "Well, whatever," she said, walking over to Byakuren and Alice. "Who's this?"

"Alice," Byakuren said, "allow me to introduce Nue Houjuu. Nue, this is Alice."

"Ah," Nue said, "so you're Alice. Hmm… well, hell, I've never seen your mother, so I have no idea if you look like her." And then she changed again, becoming a perfect duplicate of Alice. "You look like me, though."

"Byakuren," Alice said, "would it be acceptable for me to hit her?"

Nue reverted to her own form. "Meanie."

"Nue," Byakuren said, "Alice doesn't have time to play."

"Fine. I'll just leave you two to your boring-ness, then."

"Actually, Nue, Alice needs you for something."

"Huh?"

"I have things I need to conceal the true form of," Alice said. "In order to do so, I need Seeds of Non-Identification."

"Okay, well, what's it worth to you?"

Byakuren sighed again. "Nue, just give her some."

"Oh, fine. Here." Nue pulled a handful of seeds apparently from nowhere and dumped them in Alice's hands. "There."

Alice counted the seeds. _Five of them. Should be enough. _"Are these reusable?"

"Yep. Just take them off and you can put them on something else."

"Good," Alice said, pocketing the seeds. "Thank you, Nue. And you, Byakuren."

"Think nothing of it," Byakuren said. "Just… please let me know what you learn."

"Fair enough. I'll see you as soon as I have something to tell you, then. But for now, I must be going."

* * *

Cirno and the others had returned to Mystia's house. Tewi had remained with them for a while, but as night fell, she returned to Eientei, agreeing to meet Cirno's group at Misty Lake early the next morning. And by early, she meant early. Not that it was a problem for any of them; they were all youkai, and didn't need nearly as much sleep as ordinary humans.

Cirno had taken Daiyousei and Rumia and left for her house, on the shore of the lake. Wriggle and Mystia, meanwhile, had separated to go meet Tewi at Eientei and make sure she made it to the right place. Cirno would have kept the whole group together, but she knew that you always scouted the target before moving in-everyone knew that. And she didn't want to wait any longer than she had to; the sooner they moved in, the sooner they'd know how to deal with the monster that had hurt Rumia.

Cirno, Daiyousei, and Rumia had done the scouting and returned to Cirno's house to wait for the others. And before long, someone came. But it was only one person. "Hi, there," Tewi said, setting down the medium-sized bag she was carrying. "Um, aren't we missing two people?"

"They're supposed to be with you," Cirno said. "They wanted to make sure you came to the right spot on the lake."

"How'd you do that without them, anyways?" Dai asked.

"Oh, that?" Tewi said. "Just a lucky guess."

"That's not important right now, Dai," Cirno said. "If Mystia and Wriggle aren't with Tewi, then where are they?"

"I never saw them," Tewi said.

"Not good. Dai, go find them. Rumia and Tewi and I can handle this. You know where to meet-and so do they, if you can't find them."

Daiyousei clearly didn't want to go, but she knew better than to try and change Cirno's mind. "All right, Cirno. I'll be back as soon as I can. Try not to get hurt."

* * *

Mystia hit the ground. Hard.

"Mystia!" Wriggle rushed towards her fallen friend, but stopped when the beast that had attacked Mystia turned and came for her. "Damn it, what the hell does it take to get rid of you?"

The pair had run into the beast on their way to Eientei. They'd immediately headed back to Mystia's house to get the others, but the others had already left. The beast had caught up with them, and they'd tried fighting it, but they'd gotten their asses kicked. This one didn't have the pain resistance of the one that had attacked Cirno, nor did it have the regenerative ability of the one that had attacked them as a group. But it was still too much for them to handle, so they'd fled.

They'd been on the run for a few hours now, alternately running away from the thing, hiding from it, and trying to fight it. In particular, Wriggle had been throwing every poisonous insect in the area at it, but this had yet to show any results. And now, it seemed that the monster had finally caught them; Mystia was down, and Wriggle was not going to leave her. But Wriggle wasn't about to give up.

Wriggle called every insect within range to her as the beast moved slowly towards her. "Oh, what's this?" it said. "The little bug wants to fight again? Hah! You know what, bug? I think I actually like you, so I'll make you a deal. If you run now, I won't come after you anymore. How's that sound?"

"And leave Mystia? Never."

The beast laughed. "She's dead anyways. You can't save her, only yourself. If you try to save her, well, then you'll die, too."

"I don't care," Wriggle said. "I'll die before I let you hurt Mystia!"

"So be it."

The beast resumed its charge, but Wriggle stood her ground. She sent every insect she'd gathered at the monster in a massive swarm. The beast charged right through them, only for Wriggle to finally move, leaping out of the way and landing behind the beast as it came to a halt and the insects overtook it again.

The creature spun around and charged again, but shortly after clearing the swarm, it tripped and fell. It struggled to get to its feet, but could not do so. "What the… what did you do, you miserable little bug?"

_Holy shit,_ Wriggle thought, _it actually worked!_ "Simple. My insects' poison wasn't enough to harm you individually, so I sent a swarm at you. Not only did you get hit with a lot more of it all at once, but you got hit with many, many different kind of toxins. I can't imagine you're feeling too good right now."

"You… little… bitch."

Wriggle watched the creature expire. _Holy shit, that was close. There's no way that should've worked. But I had to try something. I couldn't run. I had to protect Mystia. I just hope she's all right._ She ran over to the night sparrow. "Mystia! Mystia, are you all right?Mystia!"

Wriggle quickly examined Mystia. _She's alive. She's unconscious, but I think she's alive. Um, um, um-Eientei! I have to get her to Eientei!_ "Come on, Mystia," she said taking hold of the bird. "Let's get you some help. Just hold on." _Please hold on, Mystia. Please._

* * *

As I had told Nol, I left the shrine early. Early enough that it was still dark, and probably would be for at least another couple hours. In addition to the spellcards, which were wherever it is they are between uses-even blank ones can be stored that way, it seems-I took with me only the map, folded up and placed within a pocket.

I set off towards the Scarlet Devil Mansion. I flew-which, according to Nol, was like danmaku in that anyone with any sort of power could do it-for an hour or so, but then I landed, choosing instead to walk. I wanted to get a feel for this new world, to take my time and walk along through new places in a world I had only arrived in two days ago. I wasn't concerned about walking being slower; I didn't want to waste time just sitting around, true, but I wasn't in any hurry.

The sun was just starting to rise when they were ready to go in. Fortunately, the plan didn't actually require the others, although they would've helped, Wriggle especially-the original plan had called for her to go in with Tewi and use her insects as scouts. But even she had been more of a backup than anything else; the plan could still work, although they'd be forced to rely solely on Tewi's luck to ensure that she was spotted only when she wanted to be. And when they did spot her, they would think she was someone else.

Tewi could have easily just obscured her identity, still looking like an earth rabbit but not recognizable as being Tewi specifically. Which would have worked just fine, but Tewi wanted revenge on Reisen, and she'd decided that as far as that was concerned, this was the perfect opportunity, so she'd scrapped her original plan for Reisen in favor of this one. Disguising herself as Reisen had been a bit trickier, but still fairly simple. The main requirement had been one of Reisen's outfits, which had been in the bag Tewi brought. She'd also brought a few other things, such as makeup, as well as what she needed to disguise her ears as those of a lunar rabbit, as the appearance of the ears differed between earth and lunar rabbits. But even that hadn't been too hard. Tewi perhaps wouldn't have been able to fool anyone at Eientei, but the SDM's residents were a different story.

The plan started with Cirno attacking the SDM's guard, Hong 'China' Meiling. Meiling, as was quite often the case, was asleep, which made things extremely easy. Tewi and Rumia were ready to jump in if necessary, but Cirno had Meiling knocked unconscious almost as soon as she'd woken up. "She's down," Cirno said, turning to Tewi and Rumia. "Let's-Rumia!"

Rumia was bent over, moaning. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… owowowowowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww."

Cirno ran over to her. "Rumia! Rumia, are you okay?"

"."

"It happened when you attacked Meiling," Tewi said. "I don't think she's in any condition to do much right now. Um, are you going to-"

"No," Cirno said. "I'm not going to call it off. This isn't just some prank. We're doing this so we can find out how to beat the thing that did this to her."

"We're at the bare minimum, then," Tewi said. "And we won't have anyone to distract pursuit. We'll need a new getaway plan. Um…"

This wasn't the first time Cirno'd needed to… adapt a plan to changing circumstances, and fortunately, she was rather good at it. Although the change here was simple. "Stay here," she said. She grabbed Rumia and took the girl to her house, then returned to Tewi. "I put Rumia in my house," she said. "When I come out, I'll dive into the lake and head there underwater. You just head to the forest. If anyone manages to keep on you that far, lose them in the forest, then make the drop as planned and get back to Eientei. Rumia and I'll get to the meeting spot as soon as she stops hurting. You get there as soon as you can-and I did tell you it was a good idea to have one, didn't I? Well, I hate to say 'I told you so', but-wait, no I don't. I told you so."

"I've only worked solo before," Tewi said. "I'm not used to needing to worry about stuff like that."

"Whatever. Come on, let's do this. Where's my disguise?"

"The seed." Tewi took a seed out of a pocket and handed it to Cirno. "Here you go."

"Um… what's this?"

"It's called a Seed of Non-Identification. I got it from Nue, a girl at that temple. She's something of a prankster, too, although she doesn't go for plans, which is a pity, since she can change what she looks like. She usually just pretends to be other people, and isn't interested in going beyond that, sadly. But I did get her to give me that seed."

"What's it do?"

"If you attach it to yourself," Tewi explained, "anyone who sees you will see what they expect to see. In this case, we're about to break into the SDM's library, something that Marisa usually does. They'll be expecting to see Marisa, so if they see you when you have the seed on, they'll see not you, but Marisa."

"That's awesome," Cirno said.

"It has its limits, sadly. Most notably, it has no effect on anyone who sees you without having an expectation of what they're going to see. And it also doesn't work if someone expects to see nothing; it can't make them fail to see you, so it won't affect them, either. It's really only useful very situationally, but this is one of those situations, since the SDM's people will be expecting a specific person."

"So they won't know it's me."

"That's right. They should figure out that you're a fake Marisa once they see me, but they'll still see you as Marisa-although they'll probably notice a few flaws in the 'disguise' all of a sudden. Once you're out, take the seed off and pocket it-and no, it won't have an effect from your pocket. Not even on your clothes-it doesn't seem able to attach to clothes, and no, I don't know why that is."

"Got it," Cirno said.

"Good. You'll need to attach it directly to your skin. Just press it against your skin as hard as you can." Cirno did so, and the seed seemed to… meld against her skin somewhat. "Good. When you're ready to remove it, just grab it and pull. Don't worry; it won't hurt."

"Got it. Now let's do this."

* * *

"The damage is mostly minor. There are no broken bones or anything like that, and the head trauma isn't enough to cause any problems-although that wouldn't be the case if she was human. She'll probably be out for another couple hours or so, and she probably won't feel like moving much today, but she'll be okay."

"Thank you," Wriggle said.

Wriggle had taken Mystia to Eientei, and when they saw the injured night sparrow, the guards didn't ask any question. Wriggle had immediately been directed to the medical wing, where the staff had taken her straight to a room. The nurse Wriggle was speaking to, Rin-who stood out by virtue of being the only non-rabbit on the mansion's staff-had been the one to examine Mystia.

"No problem," Rin said. "Will you be wanting to remain with her?"

Wriggle did want to, but… "I can't. I have to do something. When she wakes up, tell her I'll be here as soon as I can."

"Got it," Rin said. "See you."

* * *

The plan was working.

Tewi could have snuck into the library on her own, but even with all the luck she could call up, she'd need time to find what they were after. Cirno's job was to buy her that time, and she was doing so."

"Get back here, you thieving bitch!"

Cirno flew quickly through the library, pursued by the magician (and head librarian of the SDM's Voile Library) Patchouli's assistant, Koakuma. She'd attracted Patchouli's attention very carefully, and she'd been the decoy before, so she knew what she was doing. This time, she made sure that Patchouli saw her with a few books (which she'd grabbed pretty much at random), and as planned, Patchouli thought that she was Marisa. So now Patchouli and Koakuma were pursuing her as she led them all around the library. She'd already managed to ditch the librarian, but Koakuma was proving a bit better at the chase. Not that Cirno had any intention of being caught. She just had to last long enough for Tewi to do the job, and she was going to do exactly that.

* * *

Tewi flew up to grab a book from the top shelf, then dropped back to the ground. She moved quickly and quietly through the library, trusting her instincts to guide her. And after grabbing two more books, bringing her total to five, her instincts told her it was time to exit.

Tewi, following her instincts, stopped just before exiting the aisle. She waited until her instincts told her to move, at which time she exited the aisle just as Patchouli herself flew out of another. The magician landed in front of Tewi. "You're…"

Patchouli shielded her eyes. _Good,_ Tewi thought. _She's not locking eyes with me. That means she's buying the disguise._

"What are-" Patchouli cut off as she came to a realization. "Damn it. Koakuma! Koakuma, Marisa is a fake! She's just a decoy! The lunar rabbit Reisen is the real target! Ignore the decoy and intercept at the exit!"

_Must be some sort of communication spell._ "Sorry," Tewi said, "but I've got to go."

* * *

Cirno spun around during an unexpected pause in Koakuma's attack. Koakuma remained still for a moment before speaking. "Pretty clever, 'Marisa'," she said, "but it looks like you got unlucky. Your friend's been-"

"Bye!" Cirno said. She made for the entrance as fast as she could go. Koakuma followed, but she wasn't attacking Cirno. As had been expected, her instructions were obviously to let the decoy go and intercept 'Reisen'. But that was part of the plan, too, and Cirno'd led Koakuma clear across the library. Tewi could easily outrun the not-very-fast Patchouli, leaving the possibility of an interception by Koakuma the only worry. Except that being at the other end of the library gave Tewi plenty of time to make her escape.

Cirno flew out of the library. She dashed through the mansion and out the main doors. As she passed by the still-unconscious China, she spotted Tewi making for the forest at maximum speed, exactly as planned. Which meant it was time for Cirno to make her getaway, and she dove into the lake well before anyone could exit the mansion and see her.

As Tewi'd told her to do, Cirno pulled off the Seed of Non-Identification and pocketed it. She moved quickly towards her house. There probably wasn't any need for her to hide out before heading to the meeting spot-Mystia's house-but her house was where Rumia was, and she needed to check on her friend. The two of them would head for Mystia's as soon as Rumia was up to it.

* * *

Wriggle placed her note on the table, then exited Mystia's house. The note was for Cirno and the others. It said that Mystia was at Eientei. It also said that Wriggle had to take care of something, and that she would meet them at Eientei once it was done. Cirno wouldn't like the idea of her going off on her own, she knew, but 'something' was hardly enough for Cirno to follow her. Even Cirno would realize that she couldn't do anything when she had absolutely no idea where Wriggle was.

Wriggle closed the door behind her. _Right. That takes care of that. Time to get moving._

Wriggle rose into the air and headed off to a location only she knew. Sure, it was possible that someone else would have stumbled upon it, but even if they had, they would have found only an empty cave, one that was too small to live in. It was just a short passage that abruptly ended. Or so it appeared, but although Wriggle had never attempted to access its secret, she knew that secret was there.

_I said I'd never do this,_ Wriggle thought. _I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry, but I don't have a choice. I don't care how risky it is; I'm going to do it. I have to protect Mystia._

Wriggle hadn't understood her feelings for Mystia before. It was only upon handing her over to Eientei's medical staff, watching as they rushed her to a room and praying that she'd be okay, that she had realized what they were. _I love you, Mystia. Just hang in there; I'll be back soon, and then I'll be able to keep you safe._

* * *

A familiar person walked out as Yuugi approached the shrine. "This is unexpected," Nol said. "If you're here for Suika, she said she was going to go pick a fight with someone."

Yuugi didn't know Nol very well, but she did know him. She came to the shrine from time to time, mainly to visit Sukia. Although that wasn't her purpose today. "Actually, I'm here on business. Satori had some errands above ground, and since I'm the one who's been up here the most, I got drafted."

Yuugi reached into the very large bag-larger than her-she was carrying and removed an object wrapped in paper. "Here," she said, handing it to Nol. "Satori said Orin broke a vase here the other day, so she's giving Reimu this one as a replacement."

"I see," Nol said. "Well, Reimu's still not here, but I'll say 'thank you' for her. What else does she have you doing?"

"I've got two other stops to make," Yuugi said. "Satori tells me Remilia Scarlet's birthday is in a couple weeks, and she asked me to deliver some 'special supplies' Remilia had requested. And by 'special supplies' I mean sake from the underground. Remilia apparently wants to have a bunch of it available-and yes, there are differences between what we have down there and the stuff you have up here. Trust me; I've had plenty of both. Anyways, Remilia contacted Satori, who agreed to send some up. And since Satori had a couple other things that needed taking up here, she sent the sake along with me, too. And yes, it'll still be fresh in two weeks. You didn't really think oni don't have ways to preserve the stuff, did you?"

"I thought you usually just drank it all right away."

Yuugi laughed. "No, we've got stores of it. Emergency supplies, you know? In case there's a need for it."

"Oooooooooo-kay. I'll just leave that one be." Nol chuckled. "So Remilia knows Satori, huh? I didn't realize they knew each other."

"They do. Apparently, their sisters are good friends-and no, I don't know how Koishi and Flandre met. Anyways, after that I've got some things to drop off at Eientei. It seems Satori's just become a supplier for Eirin; some things from the underground aren't really that easy to find up here. This is the first shipment, so Satori's got me doing the delivery until she can arrange something more permanent."

"I see," Nol said. Then he had an idea. "Say, Yuugi, could I get a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Well, there's this odd girl from outside who showed up here two days ago. Calls herself 'Orphan'. She lost her memory. She somehow managed to get to Gensokyo, and she thinks she's originally from here. She doesn't have anything else to go on, though, so she's just going from place to place to see if anyone recognizes her. She left this morning, and her first destination is the Scarlet Devil Mansion."

"Ah. Yeah, that could be a problem. She is human, I assume."

"She looks human, but I'm not sure if she is. If she is, she's enhanced her physical abilities. She certainly has power."

"But she still might be human," Yuugi said.

"Right. And even if she's not, the SDM's not exactly the safest place to just randomly show up at."

"You want me to catch up with her, then, right?"

"Yeah, especially if you're going there yourself anyways."

"I can do that. When did she leave?"

"Early," Nol said. "She doesn't need as much sleep as normal humans, so I understand she was awake well before sunrise."

"Then I doubt I can catch her," Yuugi said.

"She said she intends to take it slow, and probably land and walk for a ways. She wants to… experience this new-to-her world, or something like that."

"Well, maybe I can catch her, then. I should get going, though. Tell Reimu I said hi. And be careful. Don't leave the shrine."

"Reimu's been saying that a lot lately," Nol said. "And she's been leaving frequently. Nobody's telling me anything, but something's happening, isn't it? Something beyond the regular incidents."

"It seems that way," Yuugi said. "But you're probably safe here, so don't worry about it. Anyways, I should go. See you."

"Yeah, sure," Nol muttered as Yuugi flew off. "Stay here. You're safe here. Don't worry about it. God, I wish they'd just cut that shit out for once. Always with the goddamn 'He's weak,' 'He has no power,' 'We have to shelter and protect him,' and all that shit. Yeah, sure, I shouldn't go places alone, but can't I at least know what's going on? I may not have power, but I'm still a person."

Nol reentered the shrine, still complaining to himself.

* * *

The sun had been up for a couple hours when I saw it. At first, I dismissed it as just another youkai, but it soon became clear that this one was different. I had been attacked with danmaku a few times, and I'd seen others fighting with danmaku, but this individual was different. Whatever it was, it was not using danmaku. It was using a weapon-a sword, I saw as it drew closer. A big one, too. The… individual was slicing the fairies apart. Until it saw me.

I took a closer look at the creature as it landed in front of me. Not only did it stand two or three feet taller than me, and even putting its height aside, it was just generally large. Not fat, large. It was humanoid, although there were… differences. Taloned feet, nasty-looking claws, that kind of thing. Its 'skin' was black, and appeared more like a hide. And its head and face were… well, monstrous, I suppose. It was almost completely unclothed, wearing only a codpiece, which if nothing else told me that it was male, and the sheath for his sword, which was strapped to his back.

"Well, well, well," the creature said, "what have we here? A human? No, no human would be way out here alone unless… so you have power, then."

"Who are you?"

"Introductions, then? Very well. I am Nokat, he who comes to spread panic and to kill."

I introduced myself in the same manner. "I am Orphan, she who searches for her lost past."

"'Lost past'? Interesting. You've lost your memory, then."

"Indeed I have."

"Well, I don't know you," Nokat said, "but I'm about to kill you, so does it really matter?"

"Why," I asked, "would you want to kill me?"

"Oh, it's nothing personal. I'm not targeting anyone specifically. Although I did single you out, simply because I'm getting tired of all these fairies. Killing something that comes back just isn't the same."

"And why are you killing at all?"

"Because I am," Nokat said. He took a ready stance. "I just hope you can give me a decent fight."

I formed my own weapon. I didn't know why this thing wanted to kill me, but it was not going to find me easy to kill. "Do not mistake me for easy prey."

"I certainly hope you're not," he said, and charged.

I met Nokat's initial charge head on. He brought his sword over in a downward swing, which I intercepted with my pole, blocking as he tried to keep going through my guard. "You're not human," he said. "Your strength is beyond what they have."

"I am beyond normal human limits," I said.

"Not far enough beyond them."

Nokat was right; I couldn't match his physical strength. So I didn't. I ducked to the side, letting his sword slam into the ground as I struck his knee with my own weapon.

Nokat laughed. "You didn't think you could hurt me that easily, did you?"

It was easy to see that he was bluffing. I didn't smash his knee in, true, but his brief grimace told me that he had indeed felt it. Not that I intended to call him on it; better, I thought, that he think I bought it. "How should I know?" I said. "I lost my memory, remember?"

I jumped back to avoid his next slash, then dashed in and delivered a blow to his side. He spun around with another slash, but I was already gone. I ducked under his next slash and landed a hit, then jumped back out before he could retaliate.

Nokat was stronger and tougher than me, and he had the advantage of reach. But I had the advantage of speed and agility, and I used it. I dashed in and out, weaving my way around his strikes and landing strikes of my own whenever I had the chance. And eventually he, even as durable as he was, began to show signs of injury. It was taking repeated blows, but I was doing damage.

"Damn it," he cried as I evaded another swing, "stay still!"

I ducked under his next swing, moved in, ripped his codpiece off, and slammed my pole into his personal region. "No."

Nokat dropped his sword as he doubled over in pain. "You… bitch!" He raised his arm, and I saw a glow of energy in his hand.

_Bringing power into this, I see,_ I thought._ Then I shall do the same._

Until that point, the only power I had used was to keep my pole intact. But as Nokat fired his blast, that ceased to be the case. I leapt into the air, sailing over the blast in an arc. I landed behind Nokat, spinning to face him, and thrust my pole into his back. I channeled the energy of the earth into the strike, and the force sent him flying. I formed a wall of stone in his path, and he slammed into it hard. I allowed the wall to break, and Nokat passed through the crumbling wall as he hit the ground. I sent a block of earth thrusting quickly out, angled such that Nokat was launched towards me. After two relay launches, he landed on his back nearby.

I walked over to him. "You lose."

"Then why am I not dead? This won't end until one of us dies."

"Why? Why are you so intent on killing me?"

"Not you specifically."

"Fine. Why are you intent on killing?"

"It's what I'm here to do."

"Elaborate."

"No," Nokat said.

Nokat fired another blast, but I was able to react quickly enough to avoid it, and I slammed my pole into his personal region again. "I don't think so. This fight's over."

"I think you'll have to kill him, Orphan."

I moved around Nokat, allowing me to keep him in sight while I looked at the newcomer. She was a fairly tall (by normal standards, at least. Nokat stood well over her, but that might be normal for his kind; I did not know) woman with long, blonde hair and red eyes. _I guess Gensokyo has more eye colors than the outside world._ She had a single horn on her head, and like Suika, she was wearing chains. And she was carrying a bag that was significantly larger than her.

"Who are you?" I asked the woman.

"Yuugi," she said, setting the bag down. "Yuugi Hoshiguma. Nol asked me to-"

"We can talk about that later," I said. "Right now, Nokat here is a more press-"

Nokat fired two blasts, one at me and one at Yuugi. I dodged, but Yuugi just charged right through, taking the hit. She took Nokat by the arm and threw him high into the air. Then she leapt into the air after him. She got above him, grabbed him as he passed her, and spun around and threw him downwards.

Yuugi was right. Nokat clearly intended to fight to the death. So I carefully raised the earth in a certain spot. My positioning was a little off, but I was able to correct before Nokat hit the ground. I didn't know how much force it would take to injure him, but apparently Yuugi had thrown him down with enough. The raised earth was positioned to catch his neck as he fell, and it worked. I could hear the breaking as he hit, and his head snapped forward as the rest of his body fell the rest of the way to the ground.

_

* * *

_

Hi. My name's Yuugi Hoshiguma.

_Like other oni, I live underground. Suika-who happens to be a friend of mine-is the only one who doesn't. I go up above ground sometimes, usually to visit Suika. Which includes going to the parties up in Heaven or anywhere else on the surface that Suika always tells me about. And she comes underground sometimes, too, usually to visit me (or go to parties that I tell her about)._

_I'm the only oni who regularly goes above ground-Suika lives above ground, so she doesn't count. Suika and I are good friends, and I'm not letting some little thing like where she lives change that. Hell, we've known each other since before the oni moved underground in the first place._

_Suika likes to say she's the strongest oni, and, well, she is as far as I know. I'm pretty close, though, and our battles tend to be quite excellent fights. We usually just do it for fun, although I did challenge her for her gourd once._

_People above ground, especially the humans of the Human Village, seem to fear oni these days. Of course, I'm told that humans in the village tend to be fearful of a lot of youkai, so it's probably nothing to do with oni specifically. Still, I've been there a few times, and I'm not fond of the reactions I get. So unless I've got something I need to do (or a party to go to), I generally stay underground. I will, however admit that lately I've been… well, looking for reasons to go above ground. It gives me an excuse to see _her_. But that's a bit more personal than I really want to get right now._

_Anyways, things seem to be getting interesting lately. I'm told that greater demons have been appearing in Gensokyo recently and causing problems. I do know that we've had a couple show up underground, but, well, they didn't last very long. Normally, Reimu and Marisa handle things like this, but this one seems different, and I'm not sure they'll be able to stop in by themselves. I don't know what the demons want, but I do know this: if they are making some sort of move, then they'll be in for one hell of a fight._

* * *

Yuugi landed beside me. "Dead already? Huh. I thought these guys were tougher than that."

"I'd already done significant damage," I said, "especially at the end of our fight. Slamming into solid rock at high speeds does tend to have that effect. But even before that, I'd given him something of a beating."

"Yeah, I guess so. You do seem pretty tough."

"Do you know what that thing is?"

"A demon," Yuugi said. "A greater demon, to be precise. They're pretty tough things, but I understand that there aren't too many of them. A shitload of lesser demons, I'm told, but those aren't any more dangerous than other lesser youkai. But no, 'Nokat', as you called him, was a greater demon."

"It was intent on killing me."

"That's consistent," Yuugi said.

"Elaborate, please."

"Greater demons have been acting in such a manner for a couple years now. They're almost never seen outside of Makai, but a couple years ago, people started reporting sightings of greater demons, sightings that pretty much always involved the demons engaging in violence. For a while, they were infrequent enough to seem like isolated events, but recently, the number of sightings has increased dramatically."

"So they're up to something."

"Most likely," Yuugi said. "For now, though, they're just being killers."

"Has anyone tried to find out what they're up to?"

"Reimu and Marisa have, I would assume." Yuugi said. "They always take care of things around here. But I think it'll be different this time. I'm not so sure this is something that just the two of them can stop. Not much I can see myself being able to do about it, though."

"Yes." Still, there was something about it that… meant something, I think. That… well, I didn't really know. But the feeling was there.

"There's a part of me that…" I tried to verbalize the thought, but could not.

"A part of you?" Yuugi said.

"A lost part. A forgotten part."

"Ah, that's right, memory loss. Nol told me about that."

"For some reason," I said, "this decision… means something to some forgotten part of myself."

"You feel like you should get involved."

"I don't know," I said. "I don't know what it is. The decision means something, but I don't know what. It could be that a forgotten part of me wants to get involved for whatever reason, but it could also be that said forgotten part of me does not want to get involved for whatever reason. I simply don't know."

"Man," Yuugi said, "sounds irritating."

"It's not," I said. "Such feelings are the only hints I get. They are my only clues. And they are how I know I was right to come to Gensokyo."

"Yes, Nol mentioned that you were from the outside world. So you came here searching for who you are, huh?"

"I did, and I'm certain now that I am indeed from here. I don't have any other leads, though, so I'm simply going from location to location looking for someone who recognizes me."

"Well," Yuugi said, "you have power, right? What is it?"

"Irrelevant," I said. "My power now is not what it was before. Something happened to me five years ago, something that sent me into the outside world, erased my memory, and altered my power."

"Um… okay, then. Tell me what it is, anyways."

"Sure. I have powers of nature-actually, you've already witnessed my power in use; I added a little something to your final blow against Nokat. Specifically, I raised the earth such that he caught the full force of the impact on his neck."

"I see. Well, anyways, you're going from place to place, and right now, you're headed to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, right?"

I nodded. "Did Nol tell you that, as well?"

"Yeah. And since I have business there myself, he asked me to catch up with you and ensure that you make it out intact."

"Still worrying, then."

"Yeah. He does that. I didn't really stand back and watch your fight with Nokat, but judging from what I saw as I approached, you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. Of course, even if Nol is worrying too much, we're both going to the same place anyways, so why not play it safe?"

I had to agree with her. "Indeed. Let us take to the air, then. I have a map, but have you perhaps been there before?"

"Of course I have," Yuugi said. "Even vampires have parties, and there ain't a party anywhere in Gensokyo that Suika and I don't go to. So yeah, I've been there. I'll lead the way."

Yuugi took to the sky, myself following along behind her.

* * *

"Okay," Alice said, "we've verified that being in Makai does not interfere with the link. That means we've taken care of everything on the checklist, so it's time to get you ready to go."

Alice was almost ready to send her children into Makai. They'd verified that the link would still work. They'd planned their actions upon arrival. And Alice had finished setting up the backups, too. She'd taken one doll of each model and enchanted it using the spellcard she'd gotten from Yukari. She hadn't sent Medicine's image into them yet, though; instead, she'd cast an enchantment on each of her children and that child's corresponding 'backup' doll. The spell was a one-way passing of information; everything her children heard, saw, felt, said, thought, or anything else would be copied to their respective backup dolls. That way, if anything happened to one of them, Alice could simply bring the backup to life and regain her child with no loss. Shanghai was the only one of her children who did not yet have a backup, since Alice had only made the one Shanghai doll, but she was making another, and Shanghai didn't need to enter Makai yet anyways.

There remained only one thing to take care of. The Seeds of Non-Identification would serve to disguise her children's original selves, but their current selves still had an artificial appearance. Before they went in, this would need to be disguised.

Disguising their artificial nature wasn't hard. Clothing already covered their knee and elbow joints, and gloves could be used to conceal their wrist and finger joints. And there were those who just generally wore gloves (pretty much any outfit could be seen in Makai), so this wouldn't look unusual. The other obvious markings of artificiality could be easily disguised in other manners, such as the use of body paint to cover them up. Once all of this was done, they would be ready to go into Makai. And eventually, Alice herself would also enter Makai. She had never felt the desire to return, but now was different. Now, there was something she had to do, and no matter what happened, she was going to do it.

* * *

**Hmm... looks like something's going on in Makai.**

**Aynways, reviews are, of course, appreciated. Let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5: Destinations

**Chapter 5  
**_Destinations_

Wriggle entered the cave. As she proceeded inwards, the light from outside quickly faded, but the darkness wasn't a concern for her. She simply formed a ball of green light in front of herself, using it to light the cave.

It didn't take Wriggle very long to reach the back of the cave. To anyone else, it would have looked like a total dead-end; only Wriggle knew that there was more to it. She'd been here once before, when she was younger, coming out of curiosity to see if the stories she'd been told were true. And she'd known immediately that they were, because she'd been able to feel it. But back then, she'd just wanted to know if it was there. She had no desire for it, so she decided that she would not release and take it. And she'd stuck to that until now, because now she did have a need for it. And she knew it was here, past some hidden entrance. All she had to do now was figure out how to get that entrance open.

Wriggle knew that only she could open it, so the method had to be something only she could do. _Which makes it pretty obvious, now that I think about it._ She focused as she did when exercising her command over insects, and sure enough, she felt something in the wall before her. It was different, something she had never felt before, but she could feel it. So she gave it a command. _[Open.]_

At Wriggle's command, the wall in front of her seemed to… melt, or something, revealing a chamber beyond. Wriggle entered the chamber, the wall reforming behind her, and looked around. It wasn't really a large chamber, although it was in comparison to the non-hidden part of the cave. The only truly notable feature of the chamber itself was the large, circular design on the far wall. _That must be it._

Visible behind the design as Wriggle approached was something giving off a bright, neon-green glow that lit the entire chamber; Wriggle's own light was no longer necessary, so she allowed it to fade. Something was written on the wall beside the design, which Wriggle read. _'Here, you will find the sealed power of Our First, kept here since her death. Be warned: if you release what lies within, you will pay the price.'_ "I pay no price," she said. "I am descended from Our First and leader of our kind, and that which is sealed here is mine by right of birth."

Wriggle slammed the palm of her hand into the ground as hard as she could. She ground her hand against the rock until she began to bleed. Stepping up to the design, she pressed her bleeding hand against its center, held it there for a few seconds, then stepped back.

At first, nothing happened, but then the center of the design, and only the center, vanished, leaving a hole about six inches in diameter in the center of the design. And then something, whatever that substance behind the design was, began oozing out of the hole. The substance did not begin running downwards, instead staying concentrated at the hole.

Wriggle stepped forward again. _This has to be it. Right. Okay. Time to… time for me to do this. All right. Okay, um, count of three. One. Two._ "Three!" She plunged her hand into the center of the green mass, into the hole from which it was emerging.

The reaction was immediate. The green… stuff was no longer oozing slowly out; it poured through the opening, rushing up Wriggle's arm and covering her entire body. It began… entering her body, more of it still exiting the hole. As more and more of the stuff entered Wriggle, the space behind the design emptied steadily.

Wriggle could barely see through the green stuff that covered her eyes just as it did the rest of her body, but she thought she saw… something behind the design, something besides the green then there was nothing there. _Okay, this is-wait, what was that? There was… something. Some-again._ She felt it briefly against her mind, then it was gone. _What is-there it is again. What-wait, I see something again. Damn it, what is this? _Stories of sealed power often had something evil sealed along with or, or had the source of the power be evil, but those were stories. The power was here, but nothing else was. _There can't be anything else in there, can there? No, there can't be. There isn't-gah, I feel it again. And I still see it. Is it coming closer? Coming to the opening? Damn it, there can't be anything in there! It's just a side-effect of the power flowing in. I'm just seeing things, imagining things. I have to be._ But…

What if she wasn't?

Wriggle made her decision quickly. She couldn't make use of the new power while it was still flowing into her, so she used only the power she'd already had. She channeled it through the hand she still had through the hole, firing a blast at… whatever might be in there. She fired another, and another, and then there was no sign of it. _And I can't feel it, either. Was there truly something there, or did I just imagine it?_ In the end, though, it didn't matter. Before long, there was no more of the green substance left. Wriggle withdrew her hand, and the missing center of the design reappeared.

"It's… done," Wriggle said, and promptly fainted.

* * *

"Okay," Alice said, "it's time. London, Copenhagen, Hourai, Holland, Moscow. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Mother," the five of them answered in unison.

"And you've attached the Seeds to your former selves. Good. You, of course, aren't noticing any difference, as you know exactly what's there. The demons of Makai will expect that something following you around in that manner is a kateshak, a classification of non-sentient Makan animals often used as familiars or kept as pets, so that is what they will see.

"London, Holland, Copenhagen, Hourai, when you reach your destinations within Makai, remember that you are not after any specific information, but information in general. Play the part of curious travelers. Get the local gossip and relay it to me. All of it. Anything could be useful. Moscow, you relay anything you hear to me as well, but in your case, your first priority needs to be remaining unseen.

"All of you, try to avoid conflict. Makai isn't nearly as trigger-happy as the rest of Gensokyo, so this shouldn't be too hard. If you do get into trouble, remember that I will be with you in more than just mind. We proved that I can still send my power through the link, and should the need arise, I will do so at once. Understand?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Good." She took hold of Yukari's portal spellcard and activated it. "Portal: Doorway to Makai!"

The five of them entered the portal, which Alice closed behind the last of them.

* * *

The five of them emerged in the crystal forest of Mekis. It was an ideal location for their arrival; Mekis was mostly uninhabited, but was within a decent distance of several more notable locations.

[We've arrived, Mother,] Hourai sent. This communication over the link was an interesting thing. The link was only between them and Alice, and as a result, they could not directly communicate with each other over it. However, they could 'hear' anything any of them sent along the link, so they could still talk to each other. None of them-not even Alice-had any idea how it actually worked, but this was Gensokyo. Stranger things happened every day.

[Good,] Alice replied. [You know your destinations. Let's not waste any time.]

[Yes, Mother,] they replied. Hourai and Copenhagen paired up, as did London and Holland, leaving Moscow on her own. Hourai and Copenhagen would be going into Tsesek, a nearby city-location names in Makai tended to lack the unimaginative descriptiveness seen in Gensokyo-and would split up once in the city. London and Holland were headed in a different direction, to the town of Kete. It wasn't very large, but it was close to several other cities and towns, and a lot of news passed through it. Like Hourai and Copenhagen, they'd be splitting up upon arrival.

Moscow's task was different. She wouldn't be going to any city. Her destination was the castle of Pandemonium, from where Shinki, Alice's mother, ruled over Makai. Not even Moscow, designed for stealth, would be able to get inside unless she was allowed in, which she wouldn't be. So getting in wasn't her job. She was simply to observe traffic to and from the castle, to see who came and when. And to get close enough to hear their names and, perhaps, something about what business they had.

* * *

Alice sighed. She hated putting the five of them in potential danger like that, especially Moscow. She was essentially spying, and would no doubt be killed if discovered. But someone needed to do it, and Moscow, having been designed for that sort of thing, was the best choice. Someone had to do it, because Alice needed that information. The other four would be going after information, learning just what was happening. Alice needed that information, but Moscow's was even more important, because she would be getting names. Her information would tell Alice who to look for when the time came.

Alice knew this had to be done, but that didn't help her feel any better about it. She had only yesterday brought them to life, and she was already asking so much of them. Placing them in danger. _What kind of mother am I?_

Shanghai came up beside Alice. None of Alice's thoughts had been sent along the link, but Shanghai still had no difficulty figuring out what was on her mother's mind. "You don't need to feel guilty about this," she said.

"Why shouldn't I? I just gave you life yesterday, and I'm already making you do this."

"No," Shanghai said, "you're not. Every one of us made the choice to. You forced nothing."

"I told you to do it. It doesn't matter if you agreed or not. You're my children. I shouldn't be doing something like this."

"Why not? We understand, you know. You're worried about what might have happened to your mother, so you're doing whatever you need to. We understand that. I can ask myself what I'd do if it was you, and the answer is: anything. And the others feel the same way. We know how important this is, and we'll give you any aid we can. You're not 'using' us; we're doing this of our own free will."

"I… you're right. But…"

Shanghai embraced her mother. "It's okay, Mother. We know you love us, and we're doing this because we love you."

* * *

Although Rumia had recovered from earlier, she wasn't ready to leave Cirno's house for Mystia's just yet. "It happened when you attacked China," she said to Cirno. "When you used your power. What if that's what triggered it?"

"My power? But then… if that's true, then I can't-"

"Which is exactly why we have to test it."

"But… but… but… but it might hurt you!"

"And it might not. We need to know, Cirno. If it is linked to your power, that's a big clue."

"But-"

"Please, Cirno."

"Fine," Cirno said. "but I'm starting low."

"Of course. That's the way to do it. Start low, then keep building. I'll tell you if I feel anything."

"…All right."

Cirno and Rumia stepped outside. "If this hurts," Cirno said, "I'm sorry."

Cirno, as said, started small, forming only a few shards of ice and firing them off randomly into the air. She steadily increased the number, but there was no effect on Rumia."

"Right," Rumia said, "try something bigger."

"Okay." Cirno began forming spears of ice, just one at a time at first. As before, she steadily increased the intensity.

"Good," Rumia said. "I'm still not feeling anything." Which wasn't quite true-there had been something, although it wasn't painful. But if she told Cirno that, the fairy would refuse to continue. "Do a strong blast like what you hit China with."

Cirno fired the blast, but it was immediately cut off as not just Rumia but Cirno as well cried out in pain. But because the blast had been cut off almost immediately, the pain was brief. "What the hell was that?"

"You felt it, too?" Rumia asked.

Cirno nodded. "Yeah."

"Huh. I guess you're starting to feel the effects. Eirin must be right; it's damaged in you, too."

"But what does it mean?"

"I don't know. But I think we've demonstrated that it was indeed your power that made it hurt. Just only if you do anything past a certain point."

"Damn it, what is this?"

"I don't know," Rumia said, "but maybe we should tell Eirin that your power makes it hurt. She's more likely to figure something out than we are."

Cirno didn't like that, but Rumia was right. "Fine. We'll meet up with the others, then head to Eientei. Come on."

* * *

"Right," Yuugi said as we approached the Scarlet Devil Mansion, "here we go. Their door guard has a tendency to sleep on the job, but if she's not sleeping, she'll probably attack on sight."

"Hold on. They have a door guard?"

"Yeah. Hong Meiling, but everyone calls her China."

"If that's the case, then what reason would there be for worry? If this is the right place, then she would recognize me, would she not? If this is not the right place, I will not need to enter, as I will know before doing so."

"Not necessarily," Yuugi said with a laugh. "She's notoriously unreliable, and not just because she's asleep half the time. She's kinda bad at combat, and in addition, I've heard she'll frequently challenge mansion staff that've been there longer than she has. And I know for a fact that one time she thought Sakuya, the head of the mansion's staff, was an intruder. So yeah, don't trust her to remember you. Hell, she's probably asleep, anyways."

As Yuugi and I landed, we saw that this 'China' was in fact not asleep. In fact, it looked as though she'd been in a fight recently. "Halt!" she cried out as she spotted us. "No visitors are being allowed in at this time. Please depart."

"I have business inside," Yuugi said. "I was asked to-"

"You're not getting in!"

"We do not mean any harm," I said. "We simply-"

"I don't care. If you won't leave, then I'll have to force you to."

As Meiling descended the front steps, I motioned to Yuugi to stay back and stepped forward. As soon as she was on the ground, Meiling took a ready stance. _Good form. I guess she knows a thing or two about this._ I took my own ready stance. "Is that the way you want to do this? Hand-to-hand?"

Meiling seemed surprised. "Hand-to- you can- you know- huh. Yes, I would love to do this that way." She took a few steps towards me and fell into a pit.

In Meiling's defense, the pit hadn't been there until she'd stepped there. I dropped the earth down from underneath her, and before she could react, she was at the bottom of the newly-formed pit. I quickly formed an earthen barrier over the opening, preventing her from flying out. I left a hole in the middle a few inches in diameter, both to let air in and to make it easier for us to hear each other. "Sorry," I said, "but I don't feel like wasting time fighting with you. Now if you'll excuse us, we do have business inside."

Meiling tried to break through my barrier, and she would have succeeded easily had I not been maintaining it. "Dammit," she said, "let me out!"

"I'll release hold once we're inside," I told her. "You'll have no difficulty breaking out."

"You coward! Let me out of here and fight me!"

"I'd rather not. I have no quarrel with you."

I motioned Yuugi forward, and we approached the mansion, leaving the still-shouting Meiling behind. "That," Yuugi said as we ascended the front steps, "was awesome."

* * *

When Cirno and Rumia arrived as Mystia's house, only one other was there. "Hi," Daiyousei said.

"Hey, Dai," Cirno said. "Where are Wriggle and Mystia?"

"Don't know." Daiyousei held out a sheet of paper. "I think they left a note, but since I can't read, I have no idea what it says."

Since Cirno also couldn't read, Rumia took the note. "All right, let's see here… yeah, it's from Wriggle. 'Cirno, Dai, Rumia; Mystia and I were attacked on our way to get Tewi. We ran, and the thing chased us through the forest for something like two hours. It's dead now, but Mystia was injured. I took her to Eientei; she's recovering, and they say she'll be just fine. I have something I have to do, and will return to Eientei afterwards. I will be remaining there until Mystia has recovered, so meet me there.' They're all right, then. Good."

"Good?" Cirno said. "What do you mean, 'good'? Wriggle could be getting into more danger! We have to follow her!"

"To where?" Daiyousei asked.

"What do you mean, 'to where'? To wherever she's-oh."

"I don't think she wanted us to follow her," Rumia said. "She didn't give us anything to go on."

"Dammit, what's wrong with her?"

"We can ask her when she returns," Daiyousei said, then changed the subject. "I take it the operation went well." She gestured to a stack of five books. "Tewi made the drop, at least."

"It worked," Cirno said, "but I did have to do some last-minute improsivation."

Daiyousei laughed quietly; Cirno seemed to mess that word up in a different way every time she said it. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Rumia started hurting again, so we had to change the getaway plan a little-I ended up going underwater. They may have chased Tewi, though, but if she made the drop, then they clearly didn't catch her. And by now, of course, she's un-disguised, so if someone does come looking for the books, they'll be looking for the wrong person. So mission complete! Da-da-da-daaa daa daa da da-daa!"

"If you want a victory theme so badly," Rumia remarked, "put it in a music card."

"Anyways," Dai said, "we've got the books. What do you want to do, Cirno? Wait here, or wait at Eientei?"

Cirno didn't even need to think about that one. "Grab the books," she said. "We'll start looking through them while we wait, but we're checking up on Mystia first. We'll wait at Eientei."

"I thought you'd say that. Let's get going, then."

* * *

The mansion's interior was large. I was only seeing the entry chamber, true, but judging by it, the place almost had to be far larger than it looked.

"Big, isn't it?" Yuugi said. "Sakuya did something to make it larger on the inside. Apparently she can do that."

All of sudden, someone was standing in front of us. "That, and more."

"Ah, Sakuya. Perfect." Yuugi set her bag down. "I've got a delivery from Satori. Some stuff for the big party in a couple weeks."

"Appreciated." Sakuya turned her eyes to me. "Now, about you. Who are you, and why are you here?"

_Damn._ "Actually, I was hoping you would recognize me."

"I've never seen you before."

"Which is unfortunate," I said. "You see, I lost my memory, and came here in hopes of finding someone who knows who I am."

In an instant, Sakuya was right in front of me, a knife in her hand. "I don't believe you."

"Excuse me?"

"You're lying," Sakuya said.

"She's not," Yuugi said.

"Or is she just lying to you, too?"

"No."

I attempted to grab Sakuya's wrist and disarm her, but as soon as I moved, she was on the other side of the room. "Then why are you fighting me?"

"You produced a weapon. I acted in self-defense."

"Oh, yeah?" I didn't know how she did it, but suddenly there were a large number of knives coming at me. I leapt aside and saw Sakuya appear next to me. I made to grab her, but then she was on the other side of the room again. "Not fast enough."

Somehow, Sakuya was able to move instantaniously. She could presumably avoid everything I could send at her, which made my next move obvious: I simply had to hit her with something before she saw it coming.

I fired a blast of energy at Sakuya, who, as expected, was suddenly somewhere else. "You'll need to do better than that," she said

A pillar of earth burst through the floor behind Sakuya at an angle, slamming hard into the back of her head before she could react. "Okay," I said as she dropped to the floor, unconscious. "Come on, Yuugi. Let's get out of here."

"One sec," Yuugi said. She rummaged through her bag, which due to the bag's size involved actually walking inside it. A few seconds later, she emerged carrying a much smaller bag. "There we go. Needed my delivery for Eirin. Her stuff's not nearly as bulky, so no need to keep the huge bag, right? Besides, they can use it to move the sake more quickly. Anyways, I've got what I need, so yeah, let's get out of here."

* * *

_My name is Hong Meiling, NOT China._

_Well, maybe it's not China, but I like China anyways. Not that anyone else could tell you that. I have them all thinking I hate it. It encourages them to use it all the time. They'd use my given name a lot more if they knew it was that name I hate. I mean, seriously, 'Hong'? That sounds like the title of the leader of some obscure country in the outside world._

_I'm the front guard for the Scarlet Devil Mansion. I get a lot of shit for doing a bad job, but it's not my fault. I do everything I can. I may get the shit beaten out of me a lot, but I'm trying. It's not my fault my opponents are so much more powerful. I try, but Marisa always just blasts me out of the way._

_I get yelled at for sleeping, too, but what do they expect? They want me out here night and day. I may not need as much sleep as a human, but I do need some. I used to have more normal shifts, but now that we've got Marisa breaking in all the time, they want me on duty all the time. I guess they figure having me fall asleep out here is better than not having me out here at all._

_I also get yelled at for challenging members of the staff, but what am I supposed to do? Fairies can be hard to tell apart. And yes, I did challenge Sakuya herself once, but everyone seems to leave out the fact that I was drunk when that happened; the oni Suika had decided that I needed to 'relax for once'._

_We generally keep to ourselves. We need supplies, of course, and we do host the occasional party, but aside from that, we keep to ourselves. Mistress Remilia likes it that way, although even she goes out sometimes. She'll visit Reimu every so often-usually dragging an umbrella-carrying Sakuya along with her so she can go during the day. I think she's tempted to go pay Marisa a 'visit' as well. Which would probably lighten my workload, so I'm all for that. I'd get beaten up less frequently, too. And I don't think the mistress would actually kill Marisa. Not the first time, at least. Probably take a little blood, though. That's the sort of thing that sends a message._

_I haven't had to fight off any demons yet. One did show up one night, but the mistress came out before the thing even got to me and, well, sent a message. None of them have shown up here since. Still, though, there's got to be something behind it. I thought that that one was here for the mistress, but that wasn't the case. So I don't know what's going on. I'm just glad it's leaving us alone._

* * *

"Are they always like that?" I asked Yuugi as we exited the mansion.

"Not that I've seen," Yuugi said, "although I'm normally just here when they're having parties."

Meiling had resumed her usual position by the door. "We had a theft earlier," she said, "and not by the usual culprit."

"That's Marisa, right? Who was it this time?"

"That moon rabbit, Reisen. She used a fake Marisa as a decoy, but she got unlucky and was spotted. Patchouli's sent Koakuma to Eientei to recover the stolen books."

"I see."

"No business of ours, I suppose," I said.

Meiling glared at me. "You've got that right, coward. Now get lost."

"I don't think she likes me," I remarked as Yuugi and I descended the front steps.

Yuugi laughed. "Yeah, I don't think your little pit move went over very well with her. I wouldn't worry, though. I doubt you'll be having all that much to do with her. Anyways, where are you planning on going now?"

I thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Maybe Eientei."

"There's a coincidence for you," Yuugi said. "That's my next destination. I've got a better idea for yours, though."

"Then please, tell me."

"There's a girl in the Human Village, Heida no Akyu. She's not your ordinary human, though."

"How so?"

"Well," Yuugi said, "mainly because she's reincarnated every hundred years. She records the history of Gensokyo, and is born again every hundred years to continue the task. She has a perfect memory; it's literally impossible for her to forget anything. She even perfectly remembers her past lives."

"So she might know who I am."

"Yeah," Yuugi said. "Although I guess it's been, what, five years since you lost your memory?" I nodded. "You may not look the same, then. Have you aged physically?"

"Yes."

"Then even she may not recognize you, since you look different-she has a perfect memory, but she's bad at recognizing people who've physically aged-they look different, and she's bad at comparing appearances. If you hadn't changed physically, there wouldn't be an issue, but you have."

"I see. It still sounds like she's worth visiting, though. In fact, I have to wonder why Nol didn't tell me about her."

"A lot of people don't really understand what she is," Yuugi said. "It's known that she's a reincarnating individual who records Gensokyo's history, but a lot of people don't really understand the whole 'perfect memory' thing. I, on the other hand, knew Miare herself. Meaning her first life, almost a thousand years ago."

"Is that sort of lifespan normal for youkai?" I asked.

"Well, there are plenty with shorter lifespans-although still longer than a human's-but yeah, it's kinda common to see youkai that live that long. Anyways, yeah, I knew the original Miare, and I've had 'reunions' with her reincarnations, although I obviously couldn't after we oni moved underground. But the underground's been reopened now, so although we still live down there, there's nothing actually stopping us from coming up here. So I've met the current incarnation."

"I see. Well, anyways, I think I would like to meet with her."

"I'll take you to the Human Village, then; it's fairly close to Eientei, and it'll be on my way. If we get moving now, we should be there by sundown, so let's go."

"Agreed," I said, "and thank you for your assistance."

"Ah, don't worry about it. Let's get moving."

* * *

**Yeah, short chapter, I know, but I didn't want to stretch it out just for the sake of length, so yeah. Next chapter should be fun, though.**

**Also, I would like to encourage everyone to leave reviews, and I would also like to thank bluewolf, NoblessOblidge, and Sister of Scarlet Devil for the reviews they've already given.**


	6. Chapter 6: A Desire for Information

**Chapter 6  
**_A Desire for Information_

When Wriggle awoke, she noticed one change almost immediately.

Wriggle had the ability to control insects. She was able to sense them and command them. But previously, she'd needed to focus in order to sense them. It had been easy, but it had still required a conscious effort. But that, it seemed, was no longer the case. Now, she could sense them constantly, effortlessly. And over a much, much wider range, too. But there was more. She was touching their minds in ways she previously could not. She could hear through them, see through them, know their thoughts. And because of this, she knew that someone was waiting for her outside the cave.

It was another one of the creatures. It had arrived not long after she had and followed her into the cave, emerging shortly thereafter. _It couldn't get in. Only I can enter this chamber._ But the thing knew she had to be in the cave somewhere, so it was waiting. _It's targeting me. But why? Because of what I did to that other one?_

Wriggle hadn't expected another fight so soon. _Guess I'll be giving myself a test run sooner than I thought. Better get used to it a bit before going out there, though._

She started by forming a light. Doing that had never been hard for her, but now it was immensely easier, and the light was much brighter than what she usually made, so she dimmed it somewhat. _Okay, the power's definitely in me. I wonder if it left any physical marks._

Wriggle examined herself. Her body didn't seem to have undergone any change, but her clothes were a different story. She was now wearing a simple yet elegant dress, colored in a green and purple pattern and lined with jewels. _I'm not even going to ask how that happened. Besides, I think I like the new outfit. Guess it's supposed to go with the power. I wonder if this is what She wore? Well, anyways, time to try a few things._

_

* * *

_

Yuugi and I landed a bit outside the human village and approached on foot. "They can be kind of jittery," Yuugi told me. "Best to approach on foot. You're less likely to get shot at."

"I see."

"I doubt it'd give you much of a problem, though," Yuugi continued as we walked.. "You seem pretty tough."

"You only saw me against the fairies on the way here. Hardly anything challenging."

"Maybe so, but I can still tell. You move and fire quite skillfully. Besides, I was with you at the Scarlet Devil Mansion, too, so I saw you fight there. You could've gone a bit easier on Sakuya, though."

"She attacked me," I said. "I defended myself as was necessary. I will meet danmaku with danmaku, but she truly attacked."

"Actually, that was danmaku. She wasn't actually trying to kill you or anything."

That stunned me for a moment. "Um, she threw knives at me."

"Danmaku knives," Yuugi said. "Physical objects can be made danmaku, too."

Yuugi was right. In fact, I had put danmaku stones in one of the spellcards I'd made the previous day. "I suppose I just never connected that to knives. But even so, she did attack me."

Yuugi laughed. "You really are new here, aren't you? She didn't want to harm you. That's just how things work in Gensokyo. It's not hostility. In fact, that's probably how you were able to take Sakuya out so quickly; she wasn't expecting that sort of retaliation."

"And that guard, Hong?"

"She's trained herself in hand-to-hand combat," Yuugi said. "She would've gone with danmaku if you hadn't expressed a willingness to fight that way, but I think the prospect of having a hand-to-hand match for once excited her."

"That much I could tell. It allowed me to spring my trap."

"Which was a pretty good one," Yuugi said. "I am curious about the way you fought Nokat, though. That actually was a serious battle; the greater demons have in fact been killing people. I didn't see the whole fight, but I saw enough to know that you stuck with your weapon until it used power against you."

"Appropriate response," I said. "Nokat came in with an unknown objective. Caution was appropriate, so I used my abilities only such to allow me to match him. In contrast, Hong and Sakuya had clearly identifiable objectives. Hong was simply trying to keep us out, whereas Sakuya was attempting to repel an intruder. Hong was best dealt with by simply preventing her from barring entry, and Sakuya I incapacitated."

"Yeah, I guess the pit move doesn't work indoors, huh?"

"Correct, but even if I could have done it, it's unlikely that I would have been able to contain her. She performed instantaneous relocation; trapping somebody who can do that carries obvious difficulties."

"Ah. I guess you don't know what her power is, huh? She wasn't teleporting or anything like that; she was stopping time."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Yuugi said, "she can do that. It's got limits, of course; in particular, she's severely limited in her ability to interact with anything caught in the time stop. She can pull people and objects alongside herself outside of the stop, but then they're not stopped. She can't hurt you in any way while you're stopped, although she can, say, set up a barrage of knives to fly simultaneously when time resumes-that's what she did against you."

"I would still call her a dangerous opponent."

"And I'd agree. Stopping time certainly makes it easier for her to dodge, for one thing, although you figured out how to compensate for that pretty quickly. And that's something to make sure you have down. There are quite a few people with powers that can make them seem impossible to defeat, but there's always a way. Make sure you remember that."

* * *

"I'm sorry to ask this of you," Eirin said, "but it really is important."

"Whatever," Cirno replied. "Let's just get it over with."

Eirin had Cirno and Rumia in one of the examination rooms in Eientei's medical wing. She had some kind of… something active, something that made Cirno feel weird, like she had when Eirin's done her sensing thing last time. Eirin had done whatever it was to Rumia, too.

"Okay," Eirin said, "you may begin."

"Go ahead, Cirno," Rumia said. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," Cirno said. "It'll hurt you, too."

"I need you to do it," Eirin said. "If you want me to help you with whatever is happening, I need to observe it occurring."

"Yeah, whatever. You already told me that. Just don't expect me to keep it up long, so whatever you're looking for, you'd better find it fast."

"That won't be a problem," Eirin said. "The effect I set up on you two is… recording, I suppose, any and all magical activity within you. I can find what I'm looking for by going through that recording. Give me maybe half a second's worth."

"Okay, fine. Rumia?"

"I'm ready."

"Okay," Cirno said. "Three… two… one... now!"

The pain hit Cirno almost immediately, and quickly overcame her ability to concentrate. "Gah! Owowowow!"

Rumia, of course, was also feeling it. "Uuuuuuggggggaaaahhhhhoooow."

"I'm sorry to make you do that," Eirin said, "but I had to. I should have what I need. You can go now; I'll send for you when I have something. Tewi said to find her and Daiyousei in the same room you were in yesterday."

"Right," Cirno said. "Ow. Still hurts. Um, Mystia?"

"She should be out shortly," Eirin said. "I'll send her there once Rin's done with her."

"Okay. Thanks."

* * *

As we reached the village, Yuugi and I were approached by two men. "Stop right there!" one of them said. "What do you want?"

_Immediately hostile. But why?_ "We have business within the village."

The other man was staring Yuugi in the face. "Yeah? Well, too bad. We ain't lettin' no oni in."

Yuugi sighed. "You know you can't stop me."

"Ooh, tough talk. What'd'you want here, anyways?"

"I'm taking my companion here to see Heida no Akyu," Yuugi said. "We have need of her records."

"Tell me what you need to see," the first man said. "I'll go get it."

I decided to cut straight to the heart of the matter. "You don't want us in the village. Why?"

"Beca-wait, 'why'? You actually need to ask that?"

"They're fearful of youkai attacks," Yuugi explained.

"I see." I faced the man. "We are not here to cause harm. In fact, I may not even be a youkai. I have no memory, and am here in hope that Akyu's records contain information that might tell me something about myself. Yuugi's just taking me to see her."

"Don't care," the man said. "We're not letting-"

"Hey, what the hell are you two doing?"

As they turned to face the newcomer, the two men had looks on their faces that I can best describe as conveying the message, 'oh, shit'. "Good timing, Keine," Yuugi said. "These two were trying to keep us out."

"Yuugi's safe," Keine told the two men. "She may enter."

"But-but-but-"

"Actually," Yuugi said, "I don't really need to enter. I'm just taking Orphan here to see Akyu."

"I see," Keine said. "You're right, then. You don't need to enter. I'll take her to Akyu. And you two," she glared at the two men, "I'll deal with later."

Keined turned back to me as the men left. "Sorry about that. Tension's been running high lately, what with all the demon attacks. A lot of people are a bit high-strung."

"Understandable," I said.

"Glad to hear it. Now, allow me to introduce myself. Keine Kamishirasawa."

"I am Orphan. It's nice to meet you."

"So you've got her taken care of," Yuugi said. "Thanks. Well, Orphan, I'm out of here. You still thinking about trying Eientei if Akyu doesn't work?"

I nodded. "There or the Underground, I think. Although perhaps not the latter, given that you obviously don't recognize me."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Most of us down there don't look completely human, anyways. Might still be worth a try, though. It's a big place, and I hardly know everyone. There's also the Palace of the Earth Spirits. Almost nobody ever goes in there, so there's no telling what might be in that place."

"I see."

"Just one thing," Yuugi said. "If you do decide to head underground, be careful. The path down is guarded by a youkai by the name of Parsee. I'll tell her you might be coming down, but she'll probably attack you anyways."

"Is she dangerous?"

Yuugi hesitated. "Um, yes. For a long time, I'd have said no, but…"

Clearly there was something going on between Yuugi and Parsee. I didn't rush Yuugi, instead simply waiting until she continued. "Well, she's a youkai of jealousy. That's why she'll attack; she'll find things about you to be jealous of and attack out of her jealousy. It used to be that she wasn't a threat, but… well, her jealousy has grown greatly over the past year, and her power with it. And… well, she may decide to forget about danmaku, so be ready for a truly dangerous fight."

"Understood. Thanks for the warning."

Yuugi went back to her usual demeanor. "Hey, no problem. If you do come down, I'll see you then." And with that, she turned and walked off, presumably getting some distance from the village before taking to the air.

"Sorry again about the reception," Keine said. "Akyu's place is this way. Follow me."

_

* * *

_

I hate it when I hear people say that their life is terrible. I hate it because they are wrong. My name is Keine Kamishirasawa, and I know they are wrong because there was a time that my life truly was terrible.

_I still don't know what I changed that first time. I was only nine years old when it happened, and until that day, I'd had no idea that I had any power. I was being attacked by the class bully at school during lunch; I stopped to use the bathroom on the way to the lunchroom, and he was waiting in the empty hallway when I emerged. I was certain that he was going to hurt me, and I was scared. That's when it happened. I felt it happen, and although I didn't know what it was, I knew that, somehow, I had done it. And then the bully ran into the bathroom in tears. At first, all I knew is that I'd done something to make him run off. The fact that he was a mess from that day forward I didn't think was related; how could I have caused a complete breakdown just by driving him off? And I didn't notice that everyone else thought he'd always been like that. I thought that I had probably attacked him with some kind of power, so I tried to reproduce it, but I failed. I failed because I was wrong about what I had done._

_It was two weeks later that my power showed itself again. My teacher, Mrs. Kagama, was talking about the founder of the Human Village. She told us that the man, Holso Kayase, had died of illness at the age of 64. He'd been bedridden for about a year before then, and I remember thinking that since the guy didn't do much in his last year of life, then why did we have to hear about it? I wondered if there would have even been any change if he'd died that one year earlier, wondered if anything in the present would even be different at all. And then I felt the same thing I had before, and then… and then, Mrs. Kagama was talking about how Holso'd died at the age of 63. Then I began thinking that no, she'd just said Holso died a year after that, and then she was back to talking about a Holso who'd lived to 64. I dismissed it as me hearing things. I then wondered about if he had survived another year, and then Mrs. Kagama started saying that he'd died at 65. Then it was back to 64 as my mind insisted that that's what she'd said._

_That afternoon, I did some experiments. I thought of past events and imagined them having happened differently. And when I did, there would be a change, and then the world would change to match the event having happened differently. Then I'd change it back. I kept it to minor things, and also to changes I could easily reverse, but it was enough to confirm what was happening. I was changing what had happened. I was altering history simply by thinking about it._

_The next two years were the worst of my life. I kept myself apart, isolated, alone. I had to. If I knew them, I might imagine something about them happening differently, and then… I didn't know what I'd done to that bully, but it had to've been bad, because from then on, he was a wreck. I'd clearly introduced something into his past, something that made him into a mess. What if I did that to someone else? What if I destroyed someone's life just because of a thought?_

_You can't imagine what it was like. To be afraid to see, to hear, to speak, to even _think_, because one wrong thought might destroy everything you know. Whatever you think it was like, I guarantee that you aren't even close._

_I came within an inch of killing myself more times than I could count. I knew I was too dangerous to be allowed to survive, but I couldn't bring myself to take the final step. Some part of me still wanted to live. And two years after that first discovery of my power, I found a way._

_The ritual could only be performed on the night of a full moon, so I waited, using the time to make sure I had everything right. When the night came, I snuck out of the house and out of the village, going a short way into the forest, and set everything up, placing the book I'd brought with me to the side, out of the way-it was meant for later. I knew the magic runes by heart, and quickly drew them. I affixed the ribbon that was to be the focal point to my hair. I recited the incantation. And then I was attacked. A beast had found me. It attacked me as the seal was forming, coming into contact just as the formation finished._

_It was still dark when I regained consciousness. I had no idea how long I'd been out for. I was surprised to even be alive, and looked around for the beast that had attacked me. Which is when I noticed that my head felt… odd. I felt along it and gasped as I found the reason. I ran over to a nearby stream and looked at my reflection in the water, which confirmed it. I had changed. The reason my head felt odd was because of the horns, one of which the ribbon was wrapped around. Aside from those, my form was still basically human, but not in a way that truly looked human. Even my clothing had somehow been changed. There was no escaping it; I had been changed into something else. And then I remembered the beast. That had to be what happened. The beast got absorbed into the ritual and became part of me. But did the ritual succeed?_

_I made my way back to the site of the ritual and retrieved the book. It was my history text, and I had brought it to test the results. I opened it to a random page, found an insignificant fact-a name-and imagined a change. And to my horror, it did change. That was the purpose of the history text; it described history, so if I changed something, the text changed to match having been written about the new history-which, thanks to the change, it had been. And the name I'd chosen did change, a change I immediately reversed. Then I collapsed to the ground, crying._

_I've already explained that you cannot imagine what those two years were like. And that moment? That moment where I saw that not only had the ritual made me into a monster, but had also failed to seal my power? That was worse. It was, at the risk of sounding overly dramatic, a level of despair that even I had not thought possible. I had failed to seal my power, and I had become a monster. If I tried to return home, I'd be killed as a monster. Nobody would believe that it was me-and might still kill me even if they did. And even if they didn't kill me, I would never be allowed to remain in the village. I'd be exiled, probably immediately. I couldn't return to my home, to my family, to my life. I had lost everything._

_I don't know how long it was that I laid there. I didn't move, didn't think, didn't do anything but despair. And then the sun began to rise._

_As the sun rose, I felt my body change. It was a… disturbing sensation, in part because although it didn't hurt, it felt like it should have. But it was over quickly, and when it was, I saw that the new outfit had changed back to what I'd been wearing before. Then I saw that my skin was human-looking again. I ran as fast as I could to the stream and looked at my reflection. It was all gone. All the changes to my body were gone. I was human again._

_A thought hit me, and I rushed back to the ritual site. I flipped open the history text again, found a fact, and tried to change it. And failed. I couldn't do it, couldn't change it. I tried again. I tried to change other things. And I failed again and again. I couldn't do it. I couldn't change history._

_Those two years were the worst of my life, but the month that followed was easily the best. My parents weren't even mad about my disappearance. In addition, they immediately noticed a change in my demeanor, especially when I started talking. I think I said more that morning than I had during that entire two-year period. I spoke to people. I listened. I did things again. I was a little worried that first night after the ritual, thinking I might change at night, but I did not. Nobody questioned the change in my behavior; people were just pleased that I had 'come out of my shell'. Life went on as it had before._

_I did notice that although I could no longer change history, I still had power. This wasn't unusual, of course, but mine was at a much higher level than most. But that wasn't a problem; power levels varied between individuals, and there was nothing truly remarkable about mine._

_I think I sort of expected what happened on the night of the next full moon. What happened, of course, is that I changed. I took on the beast form again. Nobody saw me in that form, though. And that, I knew, was important. Even if it was only during the full moon, I would be cast out if people knew about it. And there was something else, too. I remembered how I had been able to change history in my beast form before, so I made another attempt. And it worked. I did, of course, immediately reverse the change._

_I attempted to change what had occurred during the ritual, change it so that I was not interrupted, but it didn't work. I still don't know why, but I cannot stop the beast from being taken into me. I can change things about it-the precise timing, for example-but I cannot do anything that would prevent it from happening. I think it has something to do with my power being tied to my beast form, but I'm not sure._

_I wasn't too upset to find that the beast emerged on the night of a full moon, or even that when it did, I could again change history-and I also noted that my general level of power rose substantially when the beast came to the surface. I had gone from being a danger constantly to being a danger approximately once a month, and I considered the beast side a small price to pay for that. Still, there was danger, so I began working on ways to negate said danger._

_I became a dedicated student of history. The reason, of course, was so that if I did end up changing something, I would know how it had originally happened and know what to change it back to. And on nights of the full moon, when I changed, I trained my power, learned to control it so that I would not change anything by accident._

_There isn't much practical application for a knowledge of history, so as an adult, I ended up as a teacher at the school. I didn't mind this, though; in fact, I quite enjoyed it. It was, I knew, the right place for me, and I've held that position ever since._

_As I grew older, I realized that I had a problem. The beast having been absorbed into me had more effects than those shown on nights of a full moon. Even at other times, I was no longer truly human, although this showed only at night when the moon was full. Except that since I was now half-beast, I would live longer._

_My physical maturation wasn't extended any-for some reason, the slowing of physical aging in those with longer lives often doesn't take effect until the body is mature, although there are exceptions (and that's not counting fairies, who are almost universally childish in body and mind)-but now that I was a physically mature adult, my body was aging much more slowly. For the time being, nobody would know, but eventually, it would become clear that I wasn't growing old as I should be, and then my secret would be out. So I did something I hadn't done in a long time. I changed history._

_I am thirty-one years old, and I have been thirty-one years old for over a century. Every year, I change my date of birth, moving it forward a year. Now, yes, there should be problems with doing that-for one, what about when I changed my date of birth to after my parents could bear children?-but in Gensokyo, you learn not to worry about things like that. There's a lot here that doesn't make sense._

_I've accepted the fact that I'm no longer truly human. I'm okay with it, I think, as long as nobody in the village finds out. Only two people know about my beast side and my power: the immortal Fujiwara no Mokou, and the Child of Miare. Mokou is an outcast herself, driven away because of her immortality. And the Child of Miare has promised not to disclose my secret. I told Mokou because I knew she could understand how it felt, and I told the Child to explain why I wanted access to her records-there is no record of history more complete than hers._

_I've lived this way for a long time now, and even now, nobody knows. And aside from altering my date of birth, I do not change history. Even knowing how to control the power, I am still afraid of it. The insignificant details I chose for my experiments were one thing, but more noticeable changes could have all kinds of effects, effects even I cannot predict. So I do not do so. Aside from my year of birth, I make no changes. It's the only way to be sure._

_I find myself in the role of a protector for the village, thanks to my high level of power. It's fortunate that the demons that have been attacking people recently have tended to stay away from the village, instead going for isolated targets. They especially like small groups, killing most while letting some escape to tell what happened. I don't know what they're up to, but I do know this: any demon who wants to hit the village will have to go through me first._

* * *

"…so she brought me here," I finished.

"I see," Keine said, the two of us talking as Keine took me to my destination. "Memory loss, hmm?"

"Yes. I'm hoping that Akyu will know who I am, but if she does not, I'll just move on to the next location, probably Eientei."

"I see. Well, be careful if you do. You may run into a fight."

"A fight?"

"Yes. There's an ongoing feud between the lady of the mansion and a friend of mine."

"What kind of feud?"

Keine paused, presumably considering whether or not to tell me. "Well, the lady of the mansion, the moon princess Kaguya, is immortal-and yes, 'moon princess' means she's a Lunarian princess, a princess from the moon. When she first came to Earth, her beauty attracted men from all over the world, interested suitors. A lot of them. So she issued a challenge. She named five items of legend: the Dragon's Necklace, the Buddha's Stone Bowl, the Fire Rat's Robe, the Swallow's Cowrie Shell, and the Jeweled Branch of Hourai. Anyone who wanted her hand had to bring her one of these five items. Many people doubted that the items even existed, while others said that even if they did, obtaining any of them was impossible. Kaguya herself even acknowledged this belief, as she called obtaining the items the 'Five Impossible Requests'.

"Many men took her challenge. Most of them died. None of them succeeded. Among those who died was the head of the noble household of Fujiwara. Mokou is his daughter."

"So Mokou blames Kaguya for her father's death, then."

"Not quite," Keine said. "At first, she didn't blame Kaguya. She blamed her father for being reckless enough to attempt a challenge that even the issuer called impossible. But then she… discovered something. Specifically, she discovered that the five items Kaguya had named had already been in the lunar princess's possession when she issued the challenge-either she'd already had somebody get them or she'd obtained them herself. Which, since she doesn't have to worry about dying, wouldn't have really been all that much of a risk."

"I see," I said. "So Mokou came to blame Kaguya for tricking her father into his death, is that correct?"

Keine nodded. "She wasn't exactly pleased when he died, but she accepted it as the result of his failure, and she blamed not Kaguya for issuing the challenge but him for being stupid enough to attempt it. But that changed when she learned that Kaguya'd had the five items all along. Her father failing a challenge she was okay with; the challenge itself being a trick she was not."

"How long ago did this happen?" I asked.

"About 1,300 years. Mokou's immortal, too; in fact, stealing and consuming the elixir of immortality was her first act in her feud with Kaguya. Since then, she and Kaguya have been killing each other constantly."

I knew I was getting used to Gensokyo, because when I heard that Kaguya and Mokou were immortal, I immediately accepted it. But there was something about Keine's statement that took me by surprise. "Mokou's been attacking Kaguya for 1,300 years? She still does that even after so long? I would have thought that if nothing else, her hatred would have long since burned itself out."

"Me, too," Keine said. "And… well, I think that maybe it has. Mokou can't bring herself to forgive Kaguya, but her feelings for the princess have… changed. And I believe that Kaguya's feelings for Mokou have changed, as well. Mokou hasn't forgiven Kaguya, but… she has come to love her. And I think that Kaguya's the same. But Mokou can't bring herself to forgive Kaguya, so their fight continues. It… it's tearing Mokou apart. She can't stop killing the woman she's come to love, and it's killing her. I'm worried she's on the way to losing her mind entirely, but there doesn't seem to be anything I can do, and why am I telling you this, anyways?"

"Most likely because I'm willing to listen," I said. "I think that sometimes people just need someone who will listen. I think-" I came to a stop.

Keine turned back towards me. "Orphan?"

"Familiarity," I said.

"What?"

"Familiarity. Ever since I came to Gensokyo, I've had a sense of familiarity. I'm certain that I'm from here. But that's not all. There's… well, I feel like I can feel myself. My forgotten self. The familiarity of Gensokyo seems to be doing… something. My forgotten self is here, I can feel it. I just can't reach it. But…"

"Please, continue," Keine said after a pause.

"Certain things here have also felt familiar to me," I said. "Some of it is things I'd never seen before-danmaku, for instance-while some is related to thinks I have seen before-I think the familiarity of Gensokyo may have something to do with that. And right now, being the person who is willing to listen to you, I got that sense of familiarity."

"So you think you already knew about Mokou and Kaguya?"

"No," I said, "that's not it. It's not the story that feels familiar. I don't know what it is. I… I did things like that, maybe. Or… but no, there's more. Something… there's some… reason, maybe? A reason I did things like that? There's supposed to be… something."

"Um. Well, I don't really think I can help you out there."

"I know," I said. "I know. I'm just… I don't know."

"Hmm… well, maybe Akyu can help you find some answers. We're almost there; let's continue, shall we?"

* * *

Daiyousei looked up as Cirno and Rumia entered the room. "Hey. How'd it go?"

"She had Cirno trigger it," Rumia said, "and somehow recorded what happened. She's examining that record, and will let us know as soon as she finds anything. How are things going for you two?"

That was Tewi's cue to get up from her seat. "Pretty good," she said. "Here, come take a look."

Cirno moved over next to Daiyousei but did not examine the book Tewi had open. Rumia, the only one present aside from Tewi who could actually read, sat down next to the rabbit and examined the open page. "This is about demons."

"Yep," Tewi said. "I'm pretty sure that's what we're dealing with."

'_We', huh?_ Cirno thought. _Guess she already considers herself part of the group._ "Okay, so how do we beat it?"

"Fire worked on both of the ones you've fought, right? I think I've figured out why. With the first one, the one you couldn't seem to hurt, well, it doesn't feel pain on its protective hide or whatever, but the hide does take damage. I'm thinking that the fire simply burned it deeply, beyond the hide."

"Makes sense," Rumia said. "What about the other one?"

Tewi flipped to another page. "Here, look at this. It's talking about regeneration abilities. Regeneration isn't like immortality; there are limits, and a regenerator can still die. I'd say that with the one you fought, the fire was damaging it faster than it could regenerate. Either that, or the pain simply overwhelmed it."

"That's important," Cirno said. "That's the one we're after. So, what, we just have to keep hitting it?"

"It doesn't look like it's that simple," Rumia said. "We'd need to damage it faster than it can regenerate, and I don't know that we can do that. There's another way, though."

"Yeah? Well, what is it?"

"Doing something that kills it outright. Basically, destroying the brain. Simply removing the head probably works, too; it looks like that's one of those limits Tewi mentioned."

"Great," Cirno said. "We know how to beat it. Now we just need a plan to do it."

"Let's check the other books, Rumia," Tewi said. "There may be something useful in one of them."

"You do that," Cirno said. "Just try to make it quick. I want to be ready to go once Mystia's out and Wriggle's back."

"Got it."

* * *

"Akyu, it's me," Keine said, knocking on the door. "Can I come in?"

"Yes," was the reply. Keine opened the door and entered, with me right behind her.

The person sitting at the table was writing, and didn't even look up as we entered. I'd seen enough different hair colors already that seeing someone with purple hair wasn't a surprise. What was a surprise was how young the girl looked. She didn't look more than fifteen-and she was human, so she really was still a kid. "Hello," I said. "Are you Heida no Akyu?"

The girl looked up. "Keine not alone. Unusual. Never seen you before. Yes, I am Akyu. Who are you?"

_Damn._ "I am Orphan."

Akyu spoke quickly and in clipped tones. "Orphan. Odd name. Not given name, surely. Chosen. Has meaning. What meaning?"

"I lost my memory five years ago," I explained. "I know nothing about myself before then."

"Memory loss. Complete?"

I nodded. "I get feelings of familiarity, but aside from that, yes, it seems complete."

"Five years ago. Entire life. Likely not natural. Magic involved. Any clues?"

"When I awoke without my memory, it was in the outside world, but I believe I am from Gensokyo."

"You think same event caused relocation and memory loss?"

"Yes, and I also think it changed my power."

"Not heard anything like it," Akyu said. "So. Searching for identity. Coming here understandable. Hoped I would recognize you, may also find information in records."

"Yes, that's-"

"Shut up. No response desired. Still talking. Now, records not needed. Wrote them. Know everything in them. Can provide any needed information. Any other clues?"

"Just the hat," I said. "I think it was a gift from someone."

"Hat. Never seen it before. Never seen you before. Unless… you were in outside world five years. Did your body age?"

"Yes."

"Then failure of recognition may mean little."

"Do I look similar to anyone you remember?"

"Many people. Appearance generally unremarkable. Plus, you came from outside. Similarities to known appearances may mean little. Appearance often changes during crossing. Hair, eye color most common changes. Any change?"

"No," I said.

"May mean little. No change crossing from outside to here, but do not remember self before crossing from here to outside. Change could have happened then. Current appearance unremarkable, with possible exception of hat. Have never seen hat before. Clue. Means I have not seen you while wearing it. Would not be in public with bare head. Therefore, likely have not seen you. Narrows possibilities."

"So you're saying-"

Akyu cut me off again. "Silence. Still talking. Now, narrowed possibilities. Have not been to Sanzu this life-must leave for last. Cannot return except for reincarnation. Finish recording of Sanzu, kill self, resume task nest life."

I was shocked to hear Akyu speak so casually about committing suicide, but I did not say anything, and she just kept on. "Could be from there, but no shinigami or yama reported missing in last five years. Rules out Sanzu. Underground a possibility. Access sealed for centuries. Only reopened recently. Much catching up to do. Far behind. Most down there have clearly non-human features. Some look human, though. Youkai Mountain another possibility; have not been there this life. Have only very general information recorded at moment. Will commence true recording once finished with Underground. Heaven same way. Those three most likely locations."

The Underground, the Youkai Mountain, and Heaven. "What about Eientei?" I asked.

"Unlikely. Almost all rabbits. Non-rabbits very noticeable. Would be known if one vanished. May still be worth trip, though. Eirin genius of medicine. May have something to aid recollection."

"I see. Well, thank you for the information."

"Welcome. Other business?"

"No," Keine said, "that's all. See you."

"Same."

"Again, thank you," I said, following Keine out of the house.

"Well," Keine said as the door closed behind us, "sounds like you got some useful information."

I nodded. "Yes. Um…"

Keine chuckled. "Speechless, huh? Yeah, Akyu can do that."

"Is it normal for her to speak so casually of suicide?"

"Yeah. She kills herself once she's finished updating her records. It doesn't mean anything special to her, given that she's born again every hundred years. The Yama would probably allow her to cross back over-she supports the Child of Miare's task, and it is her shinigami who brings the records of Sanzu's history back to Gensokyo. The thing is, Akyu doesn't want to live out her natural lifespan. Once she's done for one life, she wants to move to the next immediately."

I wasn't really sure what to think about that. "Um…"

"It's best not to worry about it, so let's change the subject. Where are you going next?"

"Eientei sounds like a good choice," I said.

"I see. Well, I'll walk you out of the village. Come on."

"You know," I said as I followed Keine, "I'm wondering something about this Mokou-Kaguya thing."

"Oh? You know, you don't need to worry about it. It's not your problem."

I wasn't so sure about that; if I was potentially heading into a fight between those two, then it was very much my problem. But there was more than that. "I know, but… well, remember what I said earlier about something feeling familiar when I gave you someone to talk to about Mokou? I'm wondering if perhaps I did indeed do that sort of thing before, and if so, then why. Because it's not solely out of kindness, I can tell that much. I'm supposed to get something out of it. I just don't know what."

"Sounds kind of like a job," Keine said. "Do the work, get paid."

"I don't know about that. What if I listen to people's problems in order to lull them into a false sense of security to make it easier to catch and eat them? Assuming youkai actually eat people like they do in outside-world legends, of course."

"They do, although these days it's extremely uncommon. But, well, um, yes, if you are in fact a youkai, then what you say is certainly possible. I'm… not really sure that's the best possibility to use as a working assumption, though."

"Not to worry," I said. "I mentioned it simply to point out that it's possible my intentions were malicious. I might also have been trying to rob or trick them. Or, as you suggested, doing it in return for something."

"Maybe Reimu should do that more often," Keine remarked with a chuckle. "Might get her more donations."

"I don't think that money is the only thing one might get from such actions," I said. "There are other things one might desire in return."

"Oh, certainly. Material gifts are not the only possibility. There are also immaterial possibilities. Trust. Gratitude. Recognition. For leaders, loyalty and devotion. For gods, faith. Are you hoping that taking such an action in regards to me and Mokou will help you recall something?"

"It's worth attempting."

"Well, all right, then. What exactly is it that you're wondering about?"

"Kaguya's motive," I said. "Why does Mokou think she issued her 'Impossible Requests'?"

"So she wouldn't have to deal with all the potential suitors," Keine said. "I'm not so sure about that, though. Sending people to their deaths just so you don't have to turn them down doesn't really seem all that reasonable a thing to do."

"I agree. I'm wondering if perhaps the key to her reasoning is the fact that she already had the items. What if, instead of just being a means for her to reject potential suitors, the challenge truly was meant to find a suitable on, and the real test was to see through the deception?"

"Yeah, I've thought of that. So has Mokou, although she finds that just as bad. I do, too, realy, which is why I again think there's something else to it."

"It may," I said, "be easier for me to see things from an outsider's perspective-my only memories before coming here are of the outside world, so even if I'm from here, I am still, in a way, an outsider. Maybe that helps me to see things from an outsider's perspective, but have you perhaps thought that Kaguya didn't intend for people to get themselves killed?"

"Of course she didn't want that. There's no way she actually wanted people to die, despite some of the things Mokou's said."

"That's not quite what I meant. Obviously she didn't intend for people to die, but what if she never even intended for them to attempt the challenge in the first place?"

"She had to've known people would try. People are like that."

"Humans are like that. But she is not human, correct? She is a 'lunarian', as you called them. So I ask you: is it possible that lunarians are not like that?"

Keine came to a stop. "Why didn't I ever think of that?" she wondered aloud. "I really should have thought of that. Mokou I can see failing to think of it-hatred can do things like that-but I should have thought of it."

"Sometimes it takes a fresh viewpoint to see the obvious answer."

"Heh, sounds like something Mokou would say. Actually, I think that is something Mokou says. Right, then. I'll have to bring that up with her. Thank you."

"You're welcome." I paused. "No clues, though. Nothing new feeling familiar. Damn."

"One can only hope you'll have better luck at Eientei," Keine said. "And on that note, let's stop standing around here. I'll take you out of the village, and then Eientei's close. It won't take you long to get there."

"It's getting late, though," I noted. "Shouldn't I wait until tomorrow?"

"Eientei's always open," Keine said, "and is in fact more active at night. So you're actually looking at the best time to go there."

"I see. Well, in that case, lead on."

* * *

London and Holland reached their destination first, and immediately noticed that something was up. "Damn," Holland said, "what the hell is all this?"

London walked up to one, examining it closely. "Propaganda posters. War propaganda." [_Mother? It looks like there's a war going on. Pro-war propaganda is all over the place._]

[_Wait, what?_] Alice replied. [_A war? With who?_]

[_I don't know. The ones I'm looking at are just generic 'join the fight'-type things._]

Holland was looking over other posters. "Um, London? I think I found something important."

London went over and looked at the indicated poster. And immediately jerked back in surprise. [_Um, mother?_]

[_Yes? What is it?_]

[_A wanted poster,_] London sent. [_Dead or alive. An enormous reward, too. They want this person bad._]

[_Who is it?_]

[_Mother,_] Holland sent, [_it's you._]

* * *

**Yeah, I had fun writing Akyu.**

**Anyways, you may have noticed, but I find some of the character backstories more interesting than others, and Keine's is my favorite so far. It kind of went on longer than I intended, but you know what? I like it. And on the topic of the backstories, if you have any characters you'd like to see backstories of, please tell me. I won't promise to actually do them all, but I'm always willing to at least listen to requests.**

**And as always, reviews are appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 7: Changes

**Chapter 7  
**_Changes_

Alice, of course, was shocked, but she didn't let this affect her actions. [_I'm wanted?_] she said. [_Why?_]

London examined the poster. [_There aren't details, but it does list the charges, which are… assassination and high treason? What the-?_]

[_Treason I could at least somewhat understand, if only because I did leave my homeland, but even then, that would only be likely if they believed I was with an enemy. Unless Gensokyo is their enemy. But that combination, high treason and assassination… there's only one conclusion to reach: I was blamed for the death of someone important. Framed, I would assume. The question is whose death I was framed for._]

"Disgusting, isn't she?"

Both former dolls turned towards the demon who had walked up beside them. His appearance was mostly human (it wasn't quite as common for demons to look human than it was for other youkai, but it was still common); only his wings and fangs gave him away as a vampire. Vampires were a variety of demon and native to Makai, and Makai had no sun to restrict them to nighttime activity.

[_Play along,_] Alice sent, [_and see if you can get him to name whoever I supposedly killed._]

[_Understood,_] London and Holland replied in unison. "Most certainly," Holland said. "I can't imagine why she would betray us like that."

"Betrayal I can understand, but what she actually did… ugh. How could anyone do something like that?"

"I don't know," London said. "But people do do those things. I just… well, she wasn't like that before she left, was she?"

"Who knows? She didn't go out in public much, after all. But… shit, no, I don't think she was like that. But then how do you explain what she did?"

"Brainwashing?"

"Shinki would've known," the man replied. "She would've known. No, Alice killed her knowingly and willingly."

The two former dolls hid their shock. Alice-who the pair was relaying the entire conversation to-on the other hand, didn't need to. [_What the- they think I- they think she's- fuck, um, get more information. It shouldn't be possible for anyone to kill her. How did I supposedly do it?_]

"I'm more concerned about how she did it," Holland said. "That's the more practical concern, at least. It needs to be absolutely certain that it won't work again."

"Of course they know how she did it. She just used her mother's trust to get close, then killed her and fled before anyone knew what had happened."

"But how was she actually killed? That's what I wonder. That's not supposed to have been possible."

"Yeah," the vampire said, "nobody in Makai could harm her. Except for the one who shared her blood."

[_Not correct,_] Alice sent. [_Don't say this, but that's wrong. I couldn't have done it, either. Someone's using that as a believable lie, and only I or my mother herself-or perhaps Byakuren-would know it for a lie._]

"I'm more interested in the why, Kas," London said, using a fake name to refer to Holland. "I don't think she would've naturally come to hate her mother so much."

"She may not have been brainwashed," the man said, "but somebody in Gensokyo had something to do with it, that's for sure. Too bad for them we didn't reach the conclusion they wanted."

That much, London decided, would be easily believable for her not to know. "First I've heard they even had a conclusion in mind."

""Well, we don't actually _know_, obviously, but it's clear enough that they wanted us to think Alice's motivations were purely personal. Too bad for them nobody bought it; everyone knows it was really an assassination. And after five years, we're finally just about ready to get moving. They're not going to like what comes next."

"That's for sure," Holland said.

"Yeah. I'm just disappointed it took so long to sort everything out. It's just fortunate that they didn't seem to have plans to attack; I guess it was about just Shinki, not Makai. Not that that's going to stop us from taking the fight to them. Speaking of which, you seemed pretty interested in that wanted poster. You're not thinking of going after her, are you?"

"No," London said. "Nobody who's tried has returned, right?" This she knew was true; it had been before she and her sisters were alive, but demons had targeted Alice on several occasions. None of them had survived. "We're not dumb enough to go after her ourselves."

"That's good," the man said. "If you want to fight, go find a recruiting station; they're still accepting people. In fact, I was sent out here to get people to do just that, since there's no recruiting station in a town this size."

"We've been thinking about that, actually," Holland said. "We might just do it."

"Good to hear. Nearest one's in Jakin."

"Got it." Holland said. [_That explains his interest, then._]

[_A recruiter,_] Alice replied. [_That town's not large enough to have any sort of actual facility, so they sent a recruiter to find interested people and direct them to a place where there is one._]

[_It would seem,_] London sent, [_that the situation is much different than expected. So now what?_]

* * *

[_Change of plans,_] Alice sent. [_London, Holland, you two proceed as originally planned. Hourai, Copenhagen, do not split up upon arrival in Tsesek. Remain together. Tsesek's large enough that there's surely a full recruiting station there; find it. Get as much information on this war as you can. Moscow, your task just got even more important. Whatever happened to my mother, the people behind it are likely to be in the castle, and others involved are likely to be among their guests. I need names, reasons for visiting, as much as you can possibly get._]

Alice turned to Shanghai. "Shanghai, you'll be going in sooner than planned. I'll get your backup finished; you just make sure you're ready to go. As soon as we have a target, I'm sending you in. And be careful; your job just got a lot more dangerous."

"Don't worry, Mother," Shanghai said. "I know."

"Good," Alice said. She turned to a waiting London-series doll. "London Delta, instruction: go to the Temple of Myouren, find Byakuren Hijiri, inform her that I need to see her, and bring her here. Confirm."

"Locate Hijiri at Temple of Myouren and bring her here," the doll said. "Confirmed."

"Good. Excecute."

As the doll left, Alice entered her workshop and got to work finishing Shanghai's backup doll. She was working on automatic; her thoughts were elsewhere, and for once, they didn't have anything to do with guilt over putting her children in danger.

* * *

Usage of her new power, Wriggle had found, came quite naturally. It did take a little getting used to, but she didn't actually have to learn how to use it, or learn its limits. It didn't feel like she had obtained power from another source; it felt like the power was hers.

Wriggle wasn't expecting the creature outside to want a danmaku battle, but she's done some danmaku work anyways, most notably upgrading her spellcard patterns, as there was no telling when she might need them. It wouldn't be now, though; this would not be a danmaku battle, and like most, she didn't have much use for non-danmaku spellcards. Even if she needed to produce non-danmaku versions of those patterns, spellcards wouldn't be necessary. Danmaku actually took more effort and focus to fire than regular blasts; the same patterns could produced as non-danmaku much more easily. Patterns were less important in non-danmaku combat, anyways; another property of danmaku was that of being naturally slower-moving; making danmaku go at a certain speed was harder than making non-danmaku blasts go at that speed. Danmaku combat was slower, more careful, and more elegant than normal combat, and winning took different tactics.

Wriggle had spent time preparing, but now she was ready. She approached the hidden entrance to the chamber, which opened without her needing to command it to. Her command of insects no longer required conscious effort; simply wanting them to take an action was enough.

The sun was setting as Wriggle emerged from the cave. The beast she'd known was there rose from her seated position. "There you are," she-her form revealing her gender-said. "I have to say, you have a very well-hidden spot in there. I knew it was there, and I still couldn't find even a slight trace of it. Too bad I knew you'd have to leave eventually."

Before, Wriggle would have been terrified, but now, she was not afraid. She was confident; for the first time, she knew she would emerge victorious. There was no doubt, no uncertainty. It wasn't the kind of confidence that begat carelessness, however; she knew that her opponent was perfectly capable of killing her. But she also knew that if she remained careful, she would win.

Wriggle took a look at herself through the eyes of nearby insects. Her self-examination earlier had been accurate, except that the power had left a physical mark, just not one she could see with her own eyes, for it was her eyes that had changed. Previously blue, her eyes were now bright green in color.

The creature was still speaking. "I'm surprised you had an outfit like that in there, though. Clothes I can understand, but keeping a dress like that in your little hidey-hole seems odd, if you ask me."

_Let's have some fun with this,_ Wriggle thought. "What do you want with me?" Her voice had not changed, but there was now a sort of… booming effect when she spoke. An echoey sort of sound. It wasn't a change in her voice; she was actually causing it deliberately by passing her words through surrounding insects.

"I saw you kill Nios," the creature said. "I'm not about to let that go unanswered."

"What makes you think you can kill me when Nios could not?"

The beast laughed. "I told you I saw you kill Nios. I didn't know how you did it, so I exercised caution. He clearly had you, then he died. I had to find out what you'd done. Although it really only took some thinking about. You simply got lucky. You see, we of Makai are immune to your poisons. But there are no absolutes. You just happened to hit him with a combination that he just happened to be susceptible to. It was nothing more than an unreasonable amount of luck, and not something you'll be able to repeat. And I think you know it was only luck that let you win."

_Makai,_ Wriggle thought. _So these things are demons?_

The demon continued "Once I determined that you couldn't repeat that victory against me, I followed you. I waited when you entered that mansion. You probably should've stayed there, you know; even I couldn't have broken through their defenses. But you left, and without your friend. I guess you wanted to use your own hidey-hole. And it's a good one; I never found the tiniest sign of it, and I knew it had to be there. But I knew you'd emerge eventually. And now you have. Which means it's time for me to kill you."

It was Wriggle's turn to laugh. "You have no idea what it is you face."

"Oh? I'd say I have a very good idea. You're a weak little bug who got lucky once."

"Perhaps I was, but no more."

"So, what, you found power in there or something? Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"You cannot comprehend what I have become." _Damn, this is fun._

"Oh, whatever," the demon said. "Let's just get on with this. Time for you to die."

Another laugh. "A mere demon is nothing compared to me! It's time for you to witness the power you face!"

The demon fired a basic energy blast. Wriggle leapt over it into the air. Balls of energy formed all around her. This was an attack pattern she'd used before, but now, the balls of energy were larger, and there were many, many more of them. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, surrounding her in layered spheres. "Try this!" she cried out. "Bug Storm!"

The balls of energy shot forward quickly, aimed in a spread to prevent the demon from simply moving out of the way. She took hits, and a lot of them, but even the powered-up version's hits were still weak individually, and the demon wasn't really harmed. "Nice try. Now it's my-"

"Swarm!"

Multiple points of light appeared all around the demon. A small laser shot forward from each one, pelting the demon. Again, the shots were individually weak and actual damage was minor, but the lasers were fast and surrounded the demon, and the vast majority of them hit.

The demon didn't speak this time, instead retaliating immediately. Wriggle dropped under the energy wave to the ground. The demon, anticipating the move, fired and connected with an energy beam, sending Wriggle backwards into the ground.

Wriggle used a blast of energy to launch herself into the air, pelting the demon with minor projectiles as she closed in. The demon countered with her own blasts, but Wriggle's storm of shots was a distraction, and she evaded the demon's poorly-aimed shots without difficulty.

"And here I thought that hit would do more," the demon said. "Maybe you're a little tougher than I thought. Don't seem able to hit worth shit, though. Face it, bug, your shots are too weak. I don't care how many of them you send at me, you'll need something stronger."

"Very well." Wriggle formed more spheres of energy around her. They were far fewer in number this time around, but also far larger. "Bug Storm!" The demon dodged most of them this time, but the few that did hit had a far greater effect.

Wriggle fired a storm of blasts as she charged the demon. As she drew closer, a weapon formed in her hand, an ornate-looking spear. Wielding the weapon, Her weapon, felt natural to Wriggle. _It's my weapon now._

The demon blasted at Wriggle, but Wriggle countered with a blast of her own. She swung around and came in from the side, thrusting her spear into the demon's arm. As the demon cried out in pain, it took hold of Wriggle with its other hand and threw her hard. And it was strong; Wriggle went flying for a good ways, eventually hitting the ground and skidding to a stop.

The damage was far less than it would have been previously; Wriggle's durability had been greatly enhanced by her new power, as had her physical strength. She couldn't just shrug off a hit that strong, but is wasn't the hugely damaging blow it would have been.

Wriggle leapt into the air again. Several points of energy formed in layered rings around her. Streams formed, connecting the points into a web of green energy with Wriggle at the center. "This is the fate of those who dare to defy me!" Energy shot forth from the outer ring, enclosing the demon. "You will know despair! Fury of the Hive!"

The points of energy in the inner ring began emitting lasers, and sprays of shots came from those in the outer ring. And from her own position, Wriggle fired a large beam down the center of the enclosed area.

The demon was focused on the lasers and smaller shots, and was unable to react quite fast enough when the beam came. She almost got out of the way, but not quite. It wasn't a direct hit, but the beam was a very powerful blast. The demon stumbled backwards, then leapt through the enclosing energy wall. That hurt, too, but it was preferable to being inside.

Wriggle ceased the attack and allowed the energy web to dissipate. Her spear appeared in her hand, and she threw it with extreme force. The demon, however, managed to grab it right before it hit her. "Nice try, but you'll have to do better-"

The spear shot forward out of the demon's hand, piercing it through the chest. "This weapon is mine." Wriggle said as she landed in front of the demon. "It heeds my command even when I do not have hold of it."

The spear withdrew from the demon, who fell to her knees, and returned to Wriggle. The supernatural weapon was completely unblemished; even the demon's blood slid right off without leaving any sign it was there in the first place. It would never be damaged or destroyed, and was capable of far more than any 'ordinary' weapon.

Wriggle took hold of the spear. "You understand now how foolish you were to face me, but it is too late." She took a few steps back, channeling energy into the spear. "You have dared to defy me, and now you will pay the price! Stinger!" She threw the spear. The charged energy propelled it forward and boosted its force, and the spear flew into and straight through the demon's head.

* * *

Once we were outside the village, Keine turned to me. "Okay, if you just keep going that way," she pointed, "you should reach Eientei. Be careful, though; that forest isn't called the 'Bamboo Forest of the Lost' for nothing. Do you have some way to keep track of your direction?"

"I am attuned to nature," I said. "I cannot get lost among it."

"I see. Well, in that case, you should be fine. And if you run into Mokou, tell her I said 'hi'. Unless she's fighting Kaguya, in which case just stay away."

"Understood," I said. "Thank you." I took to the air, and headed for the forest.

* * *

The spear withdrew from the demon's skull. Wriggle took hold of it, keeping it pointed at the demon until the demon was completely motionless, without even so much as a single reflexive twitch. She was about to stand down, but thought better of it and speared the demon through the chest, through its heart. Only then did she release the weapon, which seemed to vanish. It would come to Wriggle instantly upon her desiring it to.

Wriggle looked over the body again. _Okay, I think I'm pretty certain it's dead._ She relaxed a bit. _Demons, huh? I guess we know what these things are, then. Right, I should get back._ She looked around. _Okay, so from here, Eientei would be-_

Wriggle's thoughts were interrupted by a... mental image? _That's… wait, that's a path from here to Eientei! Wait, no, it's… no, it is a path, but it's not one image. It's a series of images. It's-_ And then she had it. The images were simply her seeing through the eyes of insects. As soon as she'd thought about how to get to Eientei, she'd seen a route there through the eyes of insects along it. _So I can think about how to get somewhere and I'll see a route?_ She tried it with a couple other locations, and found that the same thing did indeed happen. _And there are insects pretty much everywhere. Guess I don't have to worry about getting lost now. Not exactly something I anticipated, but hey, I'll take it. It's kind of cool, really._

Wriggle focused again on Eientei, and once again saw a route to it, which she immediately took off along.

* * *

"Okay," Eirin said as Cirno and Rumia took chairs in front of her desk, "I've made a little progress. Not much, though, and I doubt I'll be able to find out much more. This effect is extremely advanced, far beyond anything I could do. I was, however, able to observe what happened when you used your power, Cirno.

"Cirno, the effect within you two is connected directly to your power. I'll skip the detailed explanation of just how that works, as you wouldn't understand it. You just need to know the practical side.

"The effect within you two is connected to your power, Cirno. A sufficiently strong use of your power stimulates the effect. Normally, this would mean nothing and have no noticeable effect, but now the effect within you is damaged, and what it could endure easily while whole it no longer can. When you use your power to a strong enough extent, this now further damages the effect."

"Okay," Rumia said, "so basically, Cirno using her power damages this effect more. Any idea what the thing actually does?"

"I've made minor progress in that area," Eirin said. "As I said before, I think I've reached the limit of what I can determine, and I doubt I'll be able to pinpoint precisely what the effect is doing, but… well, I think it's a coil."

Cirno and Rumia responded simultaneously. "A what?"

"Think of it as a lock," Eirin explained. "A coil enchantment is one that seals something away-I don't know where the name originated. What's sealed can be any number of things. Physical objects can be sealed, of course, although generally not living ones. Mental aspects can be sealed with a coil, too; you know, like memories, feelings, personality traits, etc. It's even possible to place a coil on certain aspects of one's physical appearance, or on physical or magical strength, although that kind of coil is even more difficult to place than most, and they're already among the most difficult enchantments to place; magic-sealing coils in particular are almost impossible to place, and usually end up draining everything the caster has even if it succeeds. And mind-affecting could aren't much easier. There's no way to know just what the coil was placed around; it could be almost anything. I met a man once who had placed a coil around a stain on his shirt-long story."

"So something about me has a coil around it, then," Rumia said, "and you can't tell what. Question: what happens if the coil is damaged enough to stop working?"

"If a coil breaks or is otherwise removed, whatever it was placed around becomes unsealed. If the coil was placed around some attribute of yours, Rumia, then the coil breaking would restore that attribute."

"That's what I thought you'd say."

Cirno was amazed. "Wait, you actually understand all this?"

"No, but I understand enough. Eirin, you're about to say that we have the option of destroying the coil, aren't you?"

Eirin nodded. "I am. Cirno, if you use your power enough, the coil will break, and whatever it seals will be restored."

"Here's the thing, Cirno," Rumia added. "I don't have any memory of anything ever being sealed."

"I don't think it's just a memory coil," Eirin said, "but memories could be included in what it seals."

"So yeah, I have no idea what this 'coil' is keeping from me. But we can assume there's a reason it was sealed. It could be a good reason, a bad reason, a neutral reason, anything, but there was certainly a reason. So yeah, it could be that breaking the coil is a good idea, but it could also be that whatever's sealed should stay that way."

"Smart girl," Eirin remarked. "Yes, that is the situation. Which means you two have a choice to make."

"Do we?" Cirno said. "I don't get a lot of this, but didn't you say this 'coil' is breaking? Can we even stop that?"

"You're right; stopping it at this point is unlikely. The damage shouldn't worsen on its own, but you'd need to avoid using your power, as well as anything else that might stimulate the coil-the attack that first damaged it, for example."

"What, and never use my power again?"

"At this point," Eirin said, "I wouldn't be surprised if this coil included a self-repairing effect. Such a thing is supposed to be impossible, but I would've thought something of this level was impossible. I haven't seen any sign of such a thing, though, which makes it even more unlikely."

"Which means you really told us nothing," Rumia remarked. "Okay, so can it be repaired?"

"Repair of such effects is possible, but this particular coil is so far beyond my level that I wouldn't even know where to start. It's also quite possible that the damage has progressed beyond a point at which repair is possible. And I think we can rule out replacing it; I don't know of anyone who could even come close to this level. You'd have to find whoever placed the coil in the first place."

"So we can pretty much rule out repair," Rumia said.

"Then I was right," Cirno said. "It's going to break."

"Most likely," Eirin said. "If you'd rather leave it up, your only real chance would be to find whoever placed it, but with essentially nothing to go on, success is extremely unlikely. Either that, or hold off on using your power and hope that the coil is in fact self-repairing, which I would say is even less likely, or just don't use your power period."

"You use way too many words," Cirno remarked. "All you've told us is that it's going to break at some point. There, I did it in one sentence. Anything else we need to know?"

"There's just one more thing," Eirin said. "If you do decide to deliberately break the coil, it is important that the two of you be together, and just as important that the two of you be alone. Be by yourselves, just the two of you. There's no telling what might happen, so it's safer if it's just the two of you."

"Got it," Rumia said. "Come on, Cirno, let's get back to Dai and Tewi. Um, Eirin, is Mystia out yet?"

"Not quite," Eirin said. "Rin's not quite ready to release her yet, but it shouldn't be too long from now. I'll send her up to you when she's out."

"Thanks. Come on, Cirno, let's go." Rumia led Cirno out of the office.

There was a lot Eirin hadn't told them. She didn't want to tell them anything more, because doing so might make them less willing to break the coil. At this point, the coil's eventual breaking was almost certainly inevitable, and it would be best if this were to happen under controlled circumstances. There was a chance of there not being any harm that could come to anyone else, but there was also a chance that things would turn quite dangerous for anyone nearby. Eirin didn't know what would happen when a coil like this one broke; this was the only one like it there'd ever been, and a coil of its type was thought to be impossible. _Which only serves to bring home the level of this 'Nolana' of Mokou's._ There was no way to know just how things would turn out. _I've done what I can. I suppose all I can do now is hope it all works out._

* * *

I moved through the forest on foot; it was thick enough to make flying through it difficult. As I had told Keine, getting lost wasn't a concern. I was also unconcerned about any possible dangers of traveling through the forest after dark; Keine had told me about what I could expect to find, and there was nothing that would be too much trouble for someone of my level of power. I didn't run into anything, though; the ever-present fairies were all I had to deal with until I came across her.

The most notable features of this woman were her extremely long hair and what appeared to be charms of some sort on her clothing and in her hair. Even just that was enough for me to identify her; Keine had given me a brief description of Mokou, and this was clearly her.

Mokou was sitting on a rock in a small clearing. She looked up as I approached. "Huh. Haven't seen you before. Nice hat."

"I am Orphan," I said. "Would I be correct in assuming that you are Fujiwara no Mokou?"

Mokou got to her feet. "Yeah. So… 'Orphan', huh? Odd name."

"I chose it. I have lost my memory, and do not know who I am. I was in the outside world, but I believe I am originally from Gensokyo, so I came here in search of my identity."

"Ah. Well, I don't recognize you. What're you doing in here, anyways?"

"I spoke to Heida no Akyu," I explained. "She didn't recognize me, but she was able to identify a few places I might likely be from. I'm headed for Eientei right now, which wasn't one of them, but she thought it might be worth a visit anyways. I understand there's someone there by the name of 'Eirin' who is somewhat of a medical genius. Akyu thought she might have something that could aid recollection."

"I see. Well, I've never heard of something like that, but if anyone has such a thing, it'd be Eirin. It's easy to get lost in here, though. I'll take you to Eientei."

I didn't need her assistance, as getting lost was not a concern for me, but… I remembered the feeling of familiarity from talking about Mokou with Keine. _I may figure something out if I take this further. Get some additional clue of some kind. It's worth trying._ "Well, I think I'd be all right on my own, but if you're willing, then perhaps I'll take you up on that."

"In that case, follow me."

_

* * *

_

I am Fujiwara no Mokou.

_It's been a long time since anyone besides myself used the old custom of surname followed by given name. The current style of given name followed by surname is much preferred. I don't really have a preference myself; I use the old style for myself for a different, personal reason. My heritage is important to me. Not in a current way, though. It's strictly in the past, but I don't want to forget it, so I use the old style as a reminder. I don't tell other people to use it for me, though; as I said, it's strictly personal._

_I am immortal. I was born over 1,300 years ago. I was just a regular human then; I didn't even have anything more than a faint trace of power, just enough to allow flight and danmaku. My father had a greater level of power, although not a truly noteworthy level. There was nothing special about my family in terms of levels of power; they varied in our family just as they do for most._

_My mother died of an illness when I was young. My father was not one of those men who resolves never to remarry; the reason he didn't was that he couldn't find another woman he wanted to marry. Not until _her_._

_The woman's name was Kaguya Houraisan. She was a princess from the moon, and my father was not alone in desiring her hand in marriage. She had devised a trial for these men. She named five legendary items and said that in order to marry her, a man would have to bring her one of them. These items had never been seen, and many thought they didn't even exist. And even among those who did, finding even one of them was said to be impossible. Thus, obtaining these items came to be known as the 'Five Impossible Requests'. And the name proved to be apt; of the hundreds of men who attempted to obtain one of these items, few survived and none were successful._

_Eventually, my father decided to go after one of the items, the Jeweled Branch of Hourai. This was perhaps the most straightforward of the items to obtain, but still extremely dangerous. It was said that one had simply to ascend to the top of Mt. Hourai in order to find it. The problem was that Mt. Hourai was extremely dangerous. For one, it bore an unusually strong concentration of magical energy, and as a result many powerful youkai made their homes on the mountain. Conditions on the mountain, especially as one got higher, were absolutely brutal. There were no paths or trails up, and flying up was not an option; as a result of the magical energy, the upper reaches of the mountain were surrounded by constant windstorms of an intensity that made flight impossible. One could fly up to the point the storms started, of course, and I would assume that those who challenged the mountain did just that, avoiding the youkai farther down. But that left the truly dangerous part. And, of course, there's no food and water at that point, so one is limited to what one brought along. And there might be even more dangers; nobody knows what lies near the top, as nobody has gotten that far and returned to tell about it._

_I thought my father was an idiot for attempting to scale the mountain. He'd always had a reckless streak, but something like that was at an entirely new level. I wasn't surprised that he died. In fact, the only surprise was the fact that his body was actually found; he had apparently fallen to his death, and his body ended up low enough that someone found it and carried it out._

_At that point, I did not blame Kaguya for my father's death; sure, she had issued the challenge, but it was not her fault that people were dumb enough to attempt it. The way I saw it, it wasn't her who got my father and the other men killed; they got themselves killed. Still, though, I was curious as to what would drive Kaguya to issue a challenge that she had to know would claim many lives. Rumors claimed that Kaguya was immortal, and I thought that perhaps that had something to do with it. So I began looking into it._

_I got myself hired as a servant at Kaguya's mansion-this was before she relocated to the rabbit-run Eientei. I doubted they'd connect me to my father-they probably never even knew his name-but I gave them a fake name anyways. It was a fine position; Kaguya treated her staff kindly. I did not mind serving her at all, and would have kept my position without complaint. But then I made a certain discovery._

_I call it a discovery, but all I did was happen to catch the right bit of gossip. Someone mentioned it offhand within earshot of me. Apparently, it wasn't a huge secret among the mansion's staff, although they didn't talk about it very much, and never to anyone outside the mansion. What I 'discovered' was that Kaguya's Impossible Requests were not made honestly; the five items had been in her possession the entire time._

_I hadn't blamed her for my father's death until then. I had considered it to be entirely his fault for being stupid enough to attempt Kaguya's challenge. But that was when I thought the challenge had been issued honestly. When I knew the truth, that changed. I realized that she'd never intended for the men to succeed, that she had known their efforts would end in failure. She had knowingly sent them to their deaths, and done so for nothing. She had done so just to get rid of them._

_That was when I swore revenge._

_I didn't let anyone know of the change in my attitude; I still had something to do within the mansion. Outside it was just rumors, but within the mansion, everyone knew that Kaguya truly was immortal, and that she had become immortal by consuming the Hourai Elixir, an act which resulted in her being exiled from the moon. But she'd taken the elixir with her. She didn't need it, but there had been some left, and she'd wanted to take it with her, so she had._

_I kept up the act of a faithful servant, and I eventually discovered where the elixir was kept. Kaguya had it cleverly hidden away in her personal chambers. As soon as I had a chance, I took it and consumed it, then put the container back._

_I had no more need to remain in Kaguya's service, but I was going to make use of it before leaving. She didn't suspect me at all, which made it easy. Before she could react, I took a decorative sword off the wall and stabbed her through the heart, killing her. As she returned to life, I told her who I really was. Then I got the hell out of there._

_I almost made it away clean, but one of the other servants realized that even though I was a familiar, trusted face, the fact that I was running like that implied that I was running from something. So he stopped me at the main entrance and tried to get me to explain. He didn't hold me up for long, but it was long enough for Kaguya to catch up. And she is very powerful._

_That was my first death._

_Kaguya didn't realize what I'd done until I got back to my feet. "Sorry, bitch," I said, "but killing me won't accomplish anything. You should know how that works. And now that I took your special little medicine, I don't think I have any reason to stick around. We'll be seeing each other again, though. You can be sure of that." Then I ran out the door and flew away._

_I attempted to kill Kaguya as often as I could, but her power gave her a major advantage. I had to attack covertly, or else she would easily kill me. I learned the art of physical combat, but that didn't help much against someone of Kaguya's power. I needed power of my own. And eventually, I found a way to get it._

_There was a legendary immortal bird of fire called the Phoenix. The legends held that if you could survive its possession, you would gain its power and its immortality. But nobody who tried could even come close to surviving the process. But unlike them, I was already immortal._

_I located the Phoenix's lair and made my way to the great bird. And when I found it, the creature spoke. I'm still not sure how it did so. "Another human," it said. "Have you, too, come to throw your life away?"_

"_I am here for power," I said._

"_And you are desperate enough that you will die for it? Because if you desire my power, only death will result."_

"_Try me."_

"_Overconfidence. Common. If only your confidence was not misplaced. I have lived for countless ages; the only way I can die is to pass my spirit on to someone else. There is nobody who can accept my spirit. If there were, my life could finally end. But all those who try to take my spirit are overwhelmed by it and die."_

"_Not me. If you truly want to end your life, then this is your chance to do it."_

"_Very well, then. If you are so willing to give me your life, then I shall take it!"_

_The Phoenix was right; I died. When I resurrected, it was just staring off into the distance. "What's the matter?" I said. "Lose your nerve?"_

That_ surprised the creature. "What? How are you alive? You died just as everyone else died."_

"_I have not come here seeking immortality. I already have that. I have come for power."_

"_You are one who cannot die?" The Phoenix actually laughed. "Excellent! Very well, then. You will have the power you seek."_

_I don't know how many times the process killed me. I just know that it killed me a lot, and that in between deaths, there was nothing but pain. And then it was over. As I got to my feet, I saw the lifeless body of the Phoenix on the ground before me. The creature was dead. And I could feel the power its death had given me. The process had worked._

_When Gensokyo was separated from the outside world, we were, of course, within it. Eirin had recently joined her in exile; it seemed that her exile had been ended, but she chose not to return. In gensokyo, she took up residence in the mansion of Eientei. Before doing so, however, she publicly withdrew her challenge, saying that since she had managed to obtain the items herself, it was over-failing to mention, of course, that she'd had them all along. She now keeps them with her at all times; they are tied to her magically and float along with her._

_Kaguya is my enemy. She will always be my enemy. It can't be any other way. We have killed each other countless times over the centuries. Something new seems to be happening now, but that changes nothing. She is the one I kill. She will always be the one I kill. It has to be that way. It can't be any other way. It can't._

_It can't._

* * *

"Your offer was unexpected," I remarked as I followed Mokou through the forest. "Leading people to the home of one's enemy isn't something you usually see."

"Enemy," Mokou said. "You know."

"Yes. Keine told me about it."

"Well, whatever. It's not like it's a big secret or anything. Anyways, my fight is with Kaguya and only Kaguya. I have no quarrel with anyone else at Eientei. I actually take people there frequently; the place has the best hospital in Gensokyo."

"I see."

"I don't go after Kaguya when I'm bringing someone else there. Although if I happen to run into her after dropping the person off, it's fair game as far as I'm concerned."

"Keine tells me the two of you have been killing each other for over 1,300 years."

"Did she tell you why?"

"She did," I said. "You feel as though Kaguya tricked men, including your father, into getting themselves killed."

"'Think'? There's no doubt about it. She told people to get things for her, but oh, wait, finding them isn't just extremely dangerous, it's also impossible, because she already has them! 'Test to earn the right of marriage' my ass. She just didn't want to deal with them, so she sends them off to die for nothing!"

"And what if the true test was figuring out that she already had the items in question?"

"Doesn't matter. She still got them killed for nothing."

"This," I said, "is where an outsider's perspective comes in handy. I may originally be from Gensokyo, but I do not remember that part of my life, so effectively, I am an outsider at the moment. I think that makes it easier for me to see things from a different perspective."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Like the fact that Kaguya was also an outsider when she issued that challenge."

"So?"

"She grew up in a completely different culture," I said. "I don't know anything about moon-person-"

"Lunarian."

"Right. I don't know anything about Lunarian culture or behavior or anything like that, but it seems odd to me that anyone would issue a challenge that they knew would get almost everyone who attempted it killed, even if the real point was to figure out that Kaguya already had the items in question."

"Of course it's 'odd'," Mokou replied. "Most people aren't twisted enough to do something like that."

"How do Lunarians react when presented with a task they are told is impossible?"

Mokou stopped and faced me. "Huh?"

"In humans, there is a tendency among many to attempt that which is impossible. This is the kind of person that attempted Kaguya's challenge. What if she didn't expect that? What if she didn't expect people to attempt her challenge?"

"Of course she knew people would attempt it! Humans are like that. Are you trying to say she knew nothing about humans?"

"How much do you know about Lunarians?" I asked. "You've only met one."

"Two. And one lunar rabbit."

"Whatever. How much do you know about Lunarians in general?"

She paused in thought. "Not much."

"Could you tell me how one from their culture would be likely to react in a given situation? A different culture would have different standards, different customs, different expectations. Do you know them?"

"Not at all."

"As is to be expected," I said. "They are, after all, on the moon."

"Yeah."

"And they probably know just as little about the people here."

"Yeah, proba-wait, you're trying to say that Kaguya actually didn't know anything about humans."

"You don't know anything about her people. Why would you think she was any more informed about yours?"

"You actually think she issued her challenge without thinking that people would attempt it?"

"I'm sure she expected a few to attempt it," I said. "Regardless of Lunarian culture, people are people. There will always be variation. I'm sure there are Lunarians who would attempt such a challenge, but I think that such behavior is much less common among Lunarians than it is among humans."

"So, what? You're saying I should just walk up to Kaguya and say 'hey, I realize you didn't mean it, we're good'? Because that's not going to happen."

"Even if, deep inside, you want it to?"

"Excuse me?"

"Keine told me," I said. "She told me a lot more than she originally intended to, I think because she needed to get it out and I was willing to listen. Surely you know that your feelings towards Kaguya are not what they used to be. So you should ask yourself something: if you had a chance to end the conflict, would you take it?"

"She tricked my father into getting himself killed. She insulted my family's honor. She is my enemy. She will always be my enemy. It has to be that way."

_Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself more than you are me._ "And if there was a way to change that?"

"I can't forgive her. I can't. I can't."

"Then don't."

That took her by surprise. "Wait, what? Weren't you just telling me to forgive her?"

"No. I was asking if you would take an opportunity to end the conflict were one to present itself."

"It can't end. Neither of us can die."

"Is that truly the only way for this to end?" I asked. "Or is there perhaps another way? One that could not only end the conflict but put you closer to something you truly want?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Keine told me about your feelings for Kaguya. Your father died attempting to meet Kaguya's challenge. But what if his daughter were to succeed where he failed? Would that not restore your family's honor?"

Mokou just stood there, silent. "Well," I said, "I'll leave you alone to think about that. I can get to Eientei on my own. Farewell."

* * *

Alice looked up from her work as Shanghai approached. "You don't need to feel that way, Mother."

Alice knew there was no point in denying having such feelings. "Don't I? You know what that vampire said. Whatever happened happened five years ago. Do you understand that? It's been five years, and I didn't have any idea that anything had happened!"

"She can't be dead," Shanghai said. "You know that."

"Which may even make it worse! If she's dead, I can't do anything about that, but if something else happened to her…. They did something, you can be sure of that. They couldn't make people think she was dead if she was there to prove them wrong. If she's not dead, then they did something else to her. I don't know how they took her out of the picture, how it was possible for them to do anything to her, but they managed it somehow. There's no telling what kind of situation she's in, and I haven't done anything to help her! It's been five years, and I didn't even know! What does that say about me?"

Moscow cut in. [_Okay, a visitor is leaving. That self-important, egocentric one. You know, the one whose name I missed? I'll see if I can get it this time; it may be used on his way out._]

"It's not your fault, Mother," Shanghai said. "As odd as it feels to be saying this, the ones responsible are the ones responsible."

[_Got it!_] Moscow sent. [_A goodbye by name._]

[_What's the name?_] Alice asked.

[_Nelek. Aaaaaand there he goes._]

[_Not a name I recognize. Still none I know. Okay, so that's three names: Amenos, Iekke, and now Nelek._]

[_And maybe a fourth. Someone new's approaching, and fast. Looks like quite the entourage, too, and an even more extravagant setup than Nelek's._]

"It's not my fault that something happened," Alice said. "It's my fault that I haven't done anything about it. It's my fault that I didn't even know."

"Mother…"

"Shanghai," Alice said, "I do in part blame myself for this, and I'm going to feel bad about it for a long time. But don't think that means I don't know where the true responsibility for this lies. We are going to find the people who did this, and when we do, I'm going to make them pay."

"We," Shanghai said. "We're going to make them pay."

"I will not ask you to fight for me," Alice said.

"Then don't. We're going to do it anyways."

[_Okay,_] Moscow said, [_they're at the gate._]

"It seems we have other things to worry about at the moment," Alice said. [_Give me a… 'play-by-play', I believe Sanae's expression is. Whatever that originally meant._]

[_They're in carriages and that sort of thing. Enchanted to float, but I don't think they can get very high. Not the sort of thing you usually see outside of cargo transport. Not really any faster than regular flight._]

[_It's a status symbol,_] Alice explained. [_Regular flight is rather unimpressive compared to traveling in a fancy carriage. That's presumably why Nelek did it, too._]

[_Right, although his wasn't nearly this impressive. Okay, servants are taking positions. I think the main attraction's getting out… yep. Female. Succubus, it looks like. Oh, man, I think the gate guards just about shat themselves. They were not expecting this. We've got a big player here, that's for sure, and they weren't expecting this visit._]

[_Get as close as you can. I want as much of their conversation as I can get._]

* * *

Moscow carefully moved in closer, being sure to remain unseen, and observed, relaying everything she saw and heard to Alice.

The succubus approached the gate, smiling as the guards prostrated themselves before her. "Lady Netese," one said as they returned to their feet. "We were not expecting a visit from one such as yourself."

"Something came up," the succubus, Netese, replied. "I must speak with Lord Tokekei."

"The Lord is engaged in… private activities. He left instructions not to be disturbed."

"My authority is greater than his. Tell him that I will be waiting in the audience chamber."

[_So she has more authority than Tokekei,_] Alice sent. [_Sounds like Tokekei's not the one in charge after all. The question is in what manner Netese is ruling. Is this a private arrangement, meant to divert attention to a decoy? Or does Netese simply choose not to reside at Pandemonium?_]

"I will have the message sent at once," the guard said. "Is there a reason we can give Lord Tokekei for this?"

"There is," Netese said. "Tell him that our 'missing person' has returned."

* * *

I continued towards Eientei by myself.

Perhaps Mokou's relationship with Kaguya was none of my business, but I couldn't help but remember that feeling of familiarity. I had hoped that continuing on and taking the discussion to Mokou herself would trigger something more, but it did not.

It was frustrating, feeling as though I did such things while having no idea of it beyond that. Perhaps resolving the issue would help, but at this point, I was doubtful. In addition, it was at this point really up to Mokou what happened next; I had done what I could. So I simply continued on, making my way through the forest to Eientei.

* * *

Mokou was lost in thought.

That Orphan girl was right about her and Kaguya. She knew that. She'd felt that way for many years. At first, she'd refused to admit it even to herself, but Keine had seen it. And Keine had basically pulled it out and beaten her over the head with it until she couldn't ignore it. But things just weren't that simple.

Kaguya was guilty. There was no doubt about that. The bitch had killed countless men, Mokou's father included. She'd tricked them into dying, and for nothing. She'd sent them to their deaths for nothing at all. A real test was one thing, but what she had done was unforgivable.

Keine had seen it, seen the way the situation was tearing Mokou apart. She'd tried to do something about it, but Mokou could not forgive Kaguya. Even when Keine had begun voicing the theory that the true intent of the challenge was to identify the trick behind it, that hadn't changed. Kaguya had still knowingly sent them to die for nothing, and Mokou couldn't forgive that. Even after she'd been forced to admit to herself that she had come to love Kaguya, she couldn't forgive her. Not for that. But now…

What if Orphan was right about Kaguya's expectations? What if Kaguya truly hadn't expected so many people to attempt the challenge and get themselves killed? What if the whole thing was no more than a cultural misunderstanding?

In the end, it changed nothing. Or would have changed nothing, if not for the last thing Orphan had said. Sure, Mokou still couldn't forgive Kaguya, but what if she didn't need to? What if there was a different way to move past this? Orphan was right about that, too; there was such a way to end this. But was that something she could do?

She thought about it, and decided that yes, she could. Maybe that would not have been true even an hour ago, but with Orphan's theory about the cultural misunderstanding in mind, it was different. Except… there was still genuine hatred for Kaguya, for what Kaguya'd done. Was that something she could just get rid of?

After more thought, she made a decision. _You've been saying you want this to end for a while now, Kaguya. So how about we do just that?_

One last fight. The anger, the hatred, still existed within her. She would bring it to the front, allow that emotion to take over. And then she would find Kaguya, and fight her as she had never done before. And then…

And then, she would end the conflict once and for all.

* * *

**Yeah, I may have had a bit too much fun with Wriggle's scene.**

**Anyways, I do remember saying that updates may be less frequent. It took a couple chapters for that to happen, but now it has. I'll update as often as I can, but I don't know how often that will be.**

**And reviews, of course, are appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8: Endless

**Chapter 8  
**_Endless_

Flying through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost was tricky at first, but one could get used to it quickly, and it was fairly simple once one was used to it. Wriggle, who lived in the forest, had no difficulty with it at all. She didn't have to think about it any more than she did flying anywhere else, so she was free to focus on other things.

Wriggle had continued getting used to her new power during her flight back to Eientei. In particular, she'd been practicing her new ability to touch the minds of other insects, her ability to see through their eyes. Having multiple views simultaneously, seeing through her own eyes and the eyes of insects at the same time, could be very disorienting. But Wriggle realized how useful it could be, so she was doing it constantly, getting herself used to it, able to function while doing so without any disorientation. And she was getting used to it quickly. She didn't have it down well enough to use in battle yet, but she could handle almost anything else without difficulty.

Wriggle withdrew from the insects as she landed at Eientei's front gate. "Hello, again."

One of the guards stepped forward, carefully examining Wriggle. "Hmm… yeah, you are her, aren't you? Wriggle, right?" Wriggle nodded. "Well, I have to say, that's a pretty nice dress. You didn't strike me as the type to have something like that."

"It belonged to my ancestor."

"I see. Not sure why you're wearing it now, though. But whatever. Head on in. Tewi told me to tell you that everyone's in the same room as last time."

"Thank you." Wriggle passed through the gate. The door guards stepped aside, allowing Wriggle in.

* * *

Rumia and Tewi were each occupied with a book, but Cirno and Daiyousei looked up as Wriggle entered. "Wriggle!" Cirno said. "What the hell were you thinking, going off on-whoa, where'd you get the dress?"

That was enough to get Rumia's attention. "Hold on, Wriggle's in a dress?" She looked over at Wriggle. "Woah. Um, where'd you get a dress like that?"

"And is it just me," Daiyousei added, "or did your eyes change color?"

"I'll explain later," Wriggle said. "Where's Mystia?"

"Not here yet," Cirno said.

"She drew Rin as her nurse," Tewi said without looking up from her book. "She's ready for release, but Rin's, well, a bit on the overly cautious side, and is likely trying to keep her for a little longer."

"I see. Right, then. I'm going to go get her. Meet me in the front hall."

Tewi did set the book down this time. "Actually, you might want to stay here. I can make arrangements. Between the five of you, you've been attacked three times now. You probably shouldn't be on your own."

"Four times," Wriggle said. "I fought and defeated one of them on my way back here."

"Wait," Cirno said, "you beat one? How?"

"I'll explain after I get Mystia. But we don't need to worry about them any longer." Wriggle turned to Tewi. "Thanks for the offer, but it won't be necessary. I can keep us safe. I would appreciate some blank spellcards, though. And like I said, I'll explain once I get Mystia."

"I think she finally realized it," Tewi remarked as Wriggle left the room.

Cirno was confused. "Huh?"

"You haven't noticed? We're looking at love, here."

"Wait," Daiyousei said, "what? You think Wriggle's in love with Mystia?"

"It's not hard to see. And fortunately, Mystia feels the same way about Wriggle-although I don't think Mystia's realized it yet. But I've known her for a while-she makes special deliveries here frequently-and yeah, it's pretty easy to see if you know what to look for. Anyways, let's go wait for her in the front hall like she said."

"Are you sure Rin will release Mystia?" Daiyousei asked.

"I'm the one in charge of this place, remember? I'll have someone go tell her that I said to release Mystia. She won't like it, but she knows the rules. She'll do as she's told. Now come on."

* * *

As I continued through the forest, I heard singing. And music, probably from a music card. It wasn't a song I was familiar with.

'_Can you see eternity?  
__Can there be anything that cannot ever fade?  
__I embrace eternity  
__I will always remain for I live eternally'_

A different voice sang the next part.

'_Who can face eternity?  
__Is eternity something one can understand?  
__Can she fight eternally?  
__Will it last forever or will it end?'_

The first person sang again.

'_Who can face eternity?  
__Is eternity something one can understand?  
__Will we fight eternally?  
__Will it last forever or will it finally end?'_

'_In the face of eternity  
__Even I know not what I see  
__Being eternal is something no one else can understand  
__If I had the other like me  
__Standing before eternity  
__She and I eternally never standing alone again'_

Another switch.

'_In the face of eternity  
__Even she knows not what she sees  
__Being eternal is something no one else can understand  
__If she had the one who's as she  
__They'd stand together eternally'_

They began alternating lines, starting with the second person.

'_Stand forever  
__Must I always stand alone?  
__Face forever  
__This is something only she and I can ever know  
__For forever  
__Will we always stand opposed?  
__Eternally  
__Alone?'_

They switched.

'_Stand forever  
__Will she always stand alone?  
__Face forever  
__Apart from the only other who understands?  
__For forever  
__Will they always stand opposed?  
__Eternally  
__Alone?'_

The two of them sang in unison, the second using second- or third-person wherever the first used the first-person.

_Will we ever no longer stand apart?  
__Stand together with each other forever?  
__Can we ever no longer stand apart?  
__The only two who truly know forever?_

'_Stand forever  
__Must I always stand alone?  
__Face forever  
__This is something only she and I can understand  
__For forever  
__Will we always stand opposed?  
__Eternally  
__Alone?'_

The song ended as I came into view of the pair. They were both beautiful women, but one of them was far beyond the other. That one also looked somewhat odd in a way, and I was pretty sure as to why. The song had made it fairly obvious that one of these two women was the immortal lunar princess Kaguya Houraisan. And when I noticed the five items floating around her, I knew that that one was indeed her.

The other woman stepped towards me as I approached. "Greetings," I said.

"Ah, hello, there," the woman remarked. "I don't believe we've met."

"Unfortunate. I was hoping you would know who I am, because I do not."

She paused in thought. "You don't know who you are? Memory loss, then? Hmm… what's the earliest thing you remember clearly? And just how fragmentary is your memory before that?"

Kaguya stepped forward, laughing. "Maybe we should introduce ourselves before you start examining her." She turned to me. "My apologies. She can be… enthusiastic."

"Sorry," the woman said. "I am Eirin Yagokoro, and this is Her L-"

Kaguya cut her off. "How many times do I have to tell you not to use that title? It is no longer mine." She faced me again. "I am Kaguya Houraisan."

_Hmm… I guess she perhaps no longer thinks of herself as royalty. Perhaps, then, she would rather I not treat her as such. _"You may call me Orphan. I do not know my original name, so I chose for myself that one."

"I see," Eirin said. "Okay, so how long ago was your memory loss? And how complete?"

"Don't interrogate the woman, Eirin."

"Actually," I said, "that's the real reason I'm here. I spoke with Heida no Akyu. She didn't recognize me, either, but she was able to name a few places for me to check. Eientei was not one of them, but she thought it was possible that you'd have something to help me remember."

"I might," Eirin said. "There are ways to aid recollection, yes, but I've never tried anything on amnesia before. My treatment is meant to help recall things that are already present; it won't work if you simply don't have the memories. That's why the completeness of memory loss is important. If something's still there, we may have a chance, but if not, then I doubt there's anything that can be done."

"It's fairly complete. I get vague feelings of familiarity, but that's it. Well, that and the fact that danmaku comes fairly naturally to me."

'Hmm… well, not as good as it could be, but that implies that there's still something there, so yes, I might be able to help. Is there anything else you think might be relevant?"

"There are two important points," I said. "First, I-"

Kaguya cut me off. "She's coming."

It took me a second to figure out who Kaguya was talking about, but Eirin got it instantly. "Now? She could just be heading in this direction; are you sure she knows you're out here?"

"She's coming for me, and something's wrong. Her aura is ablaze. I shouldn't be able to sense her yet, but she wants me to know she's coming."

Eirin took my hand and pulled me away from Kaguya. "You might want to stay back. I don't know if you're aware of the conflict, but there's about to be a fight."

"Keine told me," I said. "I actually spoke to Mokou earlier, as well. In fact, I was hoping I might have given her a few things to think about, but if she's attacking, then I obviously had less of an impact than I'd hoped."

"Keine and I have been trying to get through to her for a long time," Eirin said. "It's not surprising you couldn't. And brace yourself; here she comes."

_

* * *

_

I am Kaguya Houraisan, eldest child of the royal family and former heir to the lunar throne.

_Lunarians do not die of age like many other youkai, or like humans, but we can still die. All of us, with one exception, can die of any other cause. That exception is me._

_The forbidden research was performed by my friend and loyal servant, Eirin. Her brilliance is unmatched, and she was able to succeed where countless others had failed. I don't think anyone will ever know just how many made the attempt; the research is forbidden, and thus always carried out with the utmost secrecy. But Eirin succeeded, and presented the Hourai Elixir to me._

_Eventually, of course, it was discovered that I had become immortal. As punishment, I was stripped of my right to the throne and exiled. Eirin, despite having made the elixir, had not consumed it herself, and thus was given lesser charges. She was merely imprisoned for a time. That and the fact that although she was allowed to resume research upon her release, she was subject to additional regulations and supervision._

_I did not hide the fact that I am a Lunarian princess, and I did not hide the fact that I was exiled, although I did not tell people the reason for my exile. And it's not like I was sent away with nothing; I had lost my right to the throne, but I was still a member of the royal family, and I had a good deal of fortune to my name. The mansion I had built was no castle, but it was still a fitting home._

_I had done some traveling while deciding where I wanted to live, and as the mansion was being built, I did more. Specifically, I had heard tales of legendary items said to be impossible to obtain, and I wanted them. I was not the first to pursue these items; many had done so before me, few had survived, and none had succeeded. But I had something of an advantage, and I am not referring to my high level of power. Survival is not a worry when you cannot die._

_I sought out and obtained five different items: the Jeweled Branch of Hourai, the Swallow's Cowrie Shell, the Dragon's Necklace, the Buddah's Stone Bowl, and the Fire Rat's Robe. The latter two were the trickiest. The first three were just a matter of making it through journeys that would most likely be impossible for one who was not immortal, but the Buddah's Stone Bowl and the Fire Rat's Robe were more difficult to track down. In the end, though, it was not locating them-which wasn't too hard- that was the real task; actually getting them was every bit as dangerous as it was for the other three. But again, being immortal gave me a certain advantage, and I was able to obtain them._

_I didn't publicize the fact that I had obtained these items. I had wanted them for myself; recognition for obtaining them didn't concern me, and in fact might have been a problem, as people would doubtless want to get one or more of them from me, something I did not want to deal with. Although I still found myself having to deal with plenty of people._

_It began not long after the mansion was completed and I moved in. I had already secured a core staff, and finding additional servants was not difficult, especially as word of their treatment got around; I knew the importance of treating one's servants well. As long as they remained loyal, they had my support whenever necessary, and I ensured that they and their families were provided for. The servants' quarters were quite nice, and their needs were provided for. A few of them, primarily among those with families, elected to live elsewhere, and as long as they showed up when told to and performed their duties, I had no objections._

_I was aware of my beauty; I didn't brag about it, but there is no point in denying an obvious truth. So I was not surprised when I began drawing the interest of human men. Adding to that attraction was the fact that I am a Lunarian, as well as the fact that I am a princess._

_As I said, I was not surprised that I was drawing the interest of human men, but I did not appreciate differences between their kind and mine. For one, our numbers are much smaller than theirs. So I was not expecting the sheer number of men I ended up attracting. But regardless of numbers, I knew how to handle the situation. It is tradition among the Lunarian royal family that each daughter of the family will issue a challenge, and that only one who completes it may proceed._

_What the challenge is differs between each one of us. They are generally designed so that the one who completes it has some quality that the woman desires. If she desires a strong man, for example, she will make it a physical challenge. If she wants a powerful man, she will make it a magical challenge. If she wants a clever man, she will make it a battle of wits._

_The challenge I issued was, I freely admit, deceptive. I named five items of legend and said that the challenge was to bring me one of them. The deception was that the items in question were the five I had already obtained. Obtaining these items was said to be impossible-I'd heard that myself many times during my search for them-so I called it the 'Five Impossible Requests'. The name meant more to me, of course, since I knew that I already possessed them. The real challenge, of course, was that of figuring out the deception and realizing that I had them._

_Nobody completed the challenge. I was not approached by anyone who had figured the deception out. Most of the people who approached me had fake versions of the items that they attempted to pass off as genuine. What I did not know at the time was how many people were genuinely attempting the challenge. How many people were dying. I was made aware of the number of deaths fairly forcibly. The woman who made me aware had joined the ranks of my servants under the name 'Nala', and for a time, she'd seemed just as loyal as the rest. But that didn't last. My servants knew the truth behind the challenge, of course, so Nala learning this was inevitable, but she had given me no reason to suspect her. In fact, I think she may well have intended to be a genuine servant until she learned the truth behind the challenge._

_Nala didn't let any hint of her feelings towards me show until she made her move. She caught me by surprise and killed me. I resurrected, or course, but although now I'm up and ready to go as soon as I resurrect, it took thousands of deaths before I could make the recovery that quickly. It initially took a while for me to recover, and when Nala killed me, she made her declaration before I had recovered._

"_My name is Fujiwara no Mokou," she said. "Your challenge has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of men, my father among them. But I did not blame you; they were the ones dumb enough to attempt it. But now I know better. If you truly wanted men to obtain the items, that would be one thing, but you lied. You already have them. So your 'challenge' was a farce. A fake. You sent hundreds of men, including my father, to their deaths for _nothing_! I hope you enjoyed your peaceful life, Kaguya; it'll make taking it from you that much sweeter. You will see me again, Kaguya."_

_She ran, and I pursued as soon as I had recovered. She almost made it out, but I caught up to her and killed her. And then I discovered what she had done, because she resurrected. I simply stood there as she recovered. "Sorry, bitch," she said, "but killing me won't accomplish anything. You should know how that works. And now that I took your special little medicine, I don't think I have any reason to stick around. We'll be seeing each other again, though. You can be sure of that." Then she fled._

_I began paying more attention to the response to my challenge, and I saw that Mokou was right; men were getting themselves killed. I had expected a few deaths, as there were always fools, but why were so many throwing their lives away attempting a task that even I said was impossible? Surely such foolishness couldn't be that common among humans._

_I decided to put an end to the foolish waste of lives. I announced that I had myself obtained the five items, and showed them as proof. I said that since I had them, the challenge was over-although I did not, of course, mention the fact that I'd had them all along. This put an end to the deaths. I also confirmed the rumors of my immortality in order to explain how I had been able to obtain them when nobody else could. And that put an end to that, with the exception of Mokou's continued attacks._

_Over a hundred years later, I was visited by a party from the moon, a party including none other than Eirin. They told me that my crime had been forgiven and that I was to return to the moon. But I had come to like Earth, and when given the choice, I found that I did not want to leave. They told me that they had been ordered to return me to the moon and that I did not have a choice. But I still refused, and was ready to fight them off if necessary. And it was, but it was Eirin who struck the first blow, turing against the party and fighting them off alongside me. She told me that she desired to resume her position as my servant, and I, of course, welcomed her._

_We knew that others would come to attempt returning me to the moon, and we didn't want to have to keep fighting them off. So we fled instead. We took little with us, mainly personal items of mine, and left, just the two of us. We didn't know where we should go, so we just moved around for a while. And then we learned of the plan to separate the region of Gensokyo into a separate world of magic. So we went to Gensokyo._

_Being in a separate world solved the problem of avoiding parties from the moon, but Eirin and I still needed a residence. We considered reclaiming a fortune for myself through the sale of various items of mine; lunar treasures that were sure to fetch a high price. I didn't want to do it, though, and it turned out that I did not have to, as we found a mansion within the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. The rabbits there, led by one named Tewi, agreed to allow us use of the mansion, which was called Eientei. The rabbits, under Tewi's instruction and including Tewi herself, took the positions of the mansion's staff and worked as my servants._

_I was not surprised when Mokou first showed up at Eientei; she had been following myself and Eirin throughout our flight. So that part of my life, at least, remained completely unchanged. The funny thing, of course, is that it's the one thing about my life that has never changed, and yet also the one thing I desperately want to change. Even-or perhaps especially-with enemies, you come to know a lot about someone over more than a thousand years, and I found that I had come to love Mokou. Sadly, she has shown no intention to end our conflict. Eirin has told me that she believes Mokou has similar feelings regarding me, and yet she still does not stop. And now, she's not just coming for another fight. Somehow I can tell that this one will be in some way different._

* * *

"…going to keep me here?"

"Until I'm satisfied that you're well enough to release."

"You're the only one who doesn't already think I am!"

"Let her out," Wriggle said, stepping into the room.

Both Mystia and Rin looked up as she entered. "Whoa," Mystia said, "where'd you get the dress?"

"It was my ancestor's," Wriggle said.

"Well, why haven't you worn it-wait, did your eyes change color?"

"I'll explain later." Wriggle turned to Rin. "We're leaving."

"I haven't cleared her for release yet," Rin said.

"Then do so. Mystia's right; even Tewi knows she's ready to be released."

"I'm not satisfied that she is."

Wriggle took Mystia's hand as the sparrow stood. "Tough shit."

"I'm not-"

A rabbit poked her head into the room. "Rin, Tewi says to release Mystia."

"Oh, son of a-" Rin turned back to the pair as the rabbit left. "Fine. She's the boss. You can go, Mystia."

"Good," Wriggle said. "Come on, Mystia, let's get you out of here."

* * *

We happened to be near a small clearing, and proceeded there. Eirin and I then stood back as Kaguya awaited Mokou's arrival.

It wasn't long before Mokou walked into the clearing. And there was something different about her. She was carrying herself differently, and the look on her face was one of rage and hatred.

Mokou stared Kaguya in the eyes. "Hello, Kaguya."

Kaguya sighed. "Mokou. Do we really have to do this?"

"Oh, what's the matter, bitch? Can't handle it anymore?"

"I don't want to," Kaguya said. "You know that."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah, shut up. If you want this to stop so badly, then come on and stop it."

"By attacking you? That won't end anything."

"Or will it?" Mokou laughed. "Look at you. Too pathetic to give me a real fight. Or are you just too much of a coward?"

"I just want this to end."

"Then end it," Mokou said. "One last fight. If you're so desperate to end this, then let me see it!"

"And if I-"

Mokou charged, striking Kaguya through the heart with a spear of flame. Kaguya fell to the ground, but she was as good as new in just a few moments. "Damn it, Mokou, why do we have to do this?"

"You know why." Mokou threw a punch. Kaguya ducked to the side, but Mokou anticipated the move and caught her with a kick to the chest. She moved in and snapped Kaguya's neck.

Kaguya got to her feet after regenerating. "What the hell is with you tonight?"

"Oh, what's the matter? Can't even do this one last-"

A blast from Kaguya sent Mokou flying into the bamboo. "Ow," Mokou said as she got to her feel. "I guess you have some fight in you after all."

Mokou charged Kaguya, attacking with blasts of flame, and Kaguya countered with her own blasts. Mokou charged straight through the colliding blasts and slammed into Kaguya at full speed. She shoved Kaguya down, dragging her across the ground and leaving a trail of blood and guts.

I looked away. "Are they always this brutal?" I asked Eirin.

Eirin shook her head. "Mokou hasn't come at her this way in a long time. Are you sure you were trying to talk her out of fighting?"

"Yes. I don't know what triggered this."

"Well," Eirin said, "it looks like you may have gotten through to her after all, just not in the way you intended."

"I don't see how what I told her could have led to this."

"I don't know if it did. But they haven't had a fight like this for a long time. Something caused a change in Mokou's attitude. The only question is: what?"

* * *

After Wriggle and Mystia rejoined the others, the group departed Eientei, Tewi included, and was now walking through the forest.

"…but we couldn't find anything else," Rumia said. "I think we've gotten everything out of these books that we can."

"Then we need to make the disposal drop," Cirno said. "We'll just need to hope whoever does it is lucky enough to avoid being seen. That's your department, right, Tewi?"

"Yep," Tewi said. "I'll handle it. I can't make any promises, of course-luck's not a sure thing-but yeah, I should be able to make the drop unnoticed."

"Good," Cirno said. "But before you do that…" she looked at Wriggle. "Wriggle, I think you have some explaining to do."

"Yes," Wriggle said. "You read my note, right?"

Rumia nodded. "Yeah. We know that you and Mystia were attacked, and that you took her to Eientei, but where did you go after that?"

"A small and seemingly unremarkable cave," Wriggle said. "There's a secret to that place. It holds power, power that I went to claim. I've told you about the First, right?"

"Um, yeah," Cirno said. "Your ancestor, first of your line, all that."

"She was far more powerful than any of her descendants. My line has always been able to command insects, but Her power went far beyond that. Far beyond. I'm only now realizing the just how far beyond it went, just what kind of power she had.

"Anyways, the stories say that She feared that Her power would become diluted over time as it passed from one generation to the next. She didn't want that; she wanted the power to be there for her descendants if it was needed. So when she was near death, she sealed her power away. And yes, she'd had a child, but the power was still fully sealed and the child didn't have it. Don't ask me how that works."

"Magic's like that," Tewi remarked.

"Yeah. Anyways, Her power has remained sealed, accessible only by those of her line-you need the ability to command insects to get to the sealed power, and the blood of her line is required in order to break the seal.

"Over time, this sealed power became nothing more than a legend, but it was still there. When I was younger, I heard the stories and decided to see if I could find it. And I found it. I didn't go into the chamber, but I could feel the power."

"Wait," Cirno said, "why didn't you go in? If it was there, you should've taken it!"

"I didn't need it, and I didn't have any desire for it. Until now."

"Because of the demon that almost killed you," Rumia said.

"Yes. It was about to kill Mystia, and all I could do was run or fight and die. Only more luck than I had any right to expect saved us, something that will not repeat. So I went for Her power. I finally had need of it, had a desire for it. So I went and claimed it."

Mystia looked at the dress. "And, what, the new outfit just came as part of the package?"

"Yes," Wriggle said. "I think it was Hers. The power also caused my eyes to change color, but there doesn't seem to be any other physical mark."

"Huh," Cirno said. "Well, okay. What all can you do now?"

"I don't know my full capabilities yet, but I know some of my current abilities. For one, my command over insects no longer requires conscious action on my part; just wanting them to do something is enough. I sense them without effort now as well, and over a far, far greater range. I can touch their minds directly, too, which, among other things, allows me to see through their eyes."

"Handy."

"That it is," Wriggle agreed, "although it's a little tricky to get used to. I'm adjusting quickly, though; it's not nearly as disorienting as it was the first time I did it. I'm actually doing it right now; I've got views from all around us."

"So you know if something's coming," Rumia said. "See anything of note?"

"Nothing that involves us. It looks like Kaguya and Mokou are fighting, but that's it."

"Yeah, let's stay away from that," Tewi said. "I'd rather not be collateral damage."

"Not our fight, anyways," Cirno said. "Let those two have each other. We need to plan our next-"

"Looks like I spoke too soon," Wriggle said. "We've got incoming."

Cirno took a ready stance. "A demon?"

Wriggle shook her head. "No. Marisa."

There was a pause.

"Not good," Daiyousei remarked.

"Yeah," Rumia said, "I do not want to have a run-in with her."

"She's coming straight at us," Wriggle said.

"What makes you think she'll attack?"

Everyone stared at Cirno. "Okay, yeah," the ice fairy admitted, "that was a stupid question. Crap. Um, um, um-"

"Tewi," Wriggle said, "this is an ideal time to make the disposal drop, since she's obviously not at home right now. Everyone else, just stay back. I'll handle Marisa."

"Wait," Mystia said, "what? You'll- you don't intend to fight her, do you?" Wriggle nodded. "Are you crazy? She'll blast the crap out of you!"

"Not this time."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You actually think you can beat her?"

Wriggle fired a blast of lasers and balls off in a random direction; the blast was nothing special for her now, but it was far more than she could've done before. "I'm far more powerful now. Don't forget about that. I can take her."

"Are you sure?" Rumia asked.

"I'm sure.

"Then do it," Cirno said. "Pay her back for all of us."

"And be careful."

Wriggle put a hand on Mystia's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. And Marisa won't know what hit her."

* * *

I looked away frequently; the battle was brutal and bloody. "I just don't get it," I said to Eirin. "I really thought I gave her something to think about.

Mokou piledrove Kaguya into the ground, crushing the Lunarian's skull. But instead of waiting for Kaguya to resurrect as she'd been doing, Mokou knelt down beside Kaguya's body briefly before stepping back.

"What was that about?" Eirin wondered.

Kaguya got to her feet, and as she did, I notice something. I checked again, and yet again to be sure. _Where's the-of course._ "Eirin," I said as the battle resumed, "take a look at Kaguya."

"Um…"

"It may be hard to see while they're moving, but it's there. Or, rather, it's not there."

"What's not- wait, where's the shell?"

"Mokou has it."

"Orphan," Eirin said, "do you know something?"

I nodded. "I think you were right, Eirin; it was what I said that prompted this."

"Explain."

"I don't think Mokou ever considered the possibility that Kaguya had no idea so many people would attempt her challenge; as an outsider myself, it is perhaps easier for me to see other things from the outsider's perspective."

"Well, you're right. Kaguya had no idea. Lunarians would not have responded in that manner."

"I told Mokou that such a thing was likely, and she said that she still couldn't forgive Kaguya. So I told that she didn't need to. Think about it; what other way might there be to end their conflict?"

"If there was another way," Eirin said, "one of us would've thought of it by now."

"Apparently not. Think, Eirin. Why did the conflict between Mokou and Kaguya being in the first place?"

"Mokou discovered the truth behind Kaguya's challenge and blamed Kaguya for the death of her father."

"And he died because…?"

"Because he attempted to obtain one of the items. The branch, I believe. But he fa- wait, yes, he failed. That's what you're saying, isn't it? That the conflict can be ended if Mokou succeeds where her father failed."

"Correct. I didn't know how she would go about doing so, but it would seem she decided to do it through battle."

"But then why is she being this brutal?"

"I think she's attempting to purge any lingering hatred she still feels towards Kaguya. She's letting it all out in one last-" A stray shot from Kaguya hit me in the chest. "Ow."

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. It was just one shot."

"Good. Anyways, that's what's going on here?"

"I think so," I said as Kaguya went down again. Mokou took another of the items-the necklace.

"Well," Eirin said, "I hope you're right."

* * *

Nol was awakened by a crash. He got out of bed and made his way to the main room. "Dammit, Suika, stay out of the-gah!" He found himself temporarily blinded by a bright flash. "What the-" He fumbled around on a shelf until he found a switch. He flipped it, and magic-powered lights lit up the room, allowing him to see the intruder, whose identity was not, after the flash, a surprise. "Aya, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Investigating," the tengu replied. "Reimu's been gone for a while now, hasn't she? Where do you think she is?"

"I have no idea," he said, turning to glare at Aya. "Now get the hell out."

"Hmm…" Aya whipped out a pad and pen and started jotting down notes. "Shrine maiden nowhere to be found, assistant envious, assistant's attitude hostile."

Nol sighed. "Reimu left a couple days ago to take another look into… whatever's going on. I haven't seen or heard from her since."

"Convenient explanation. There've been deaths; Reimu's would not look suspicious. Averts suspicions."

"I didn't do anything," Nol said. "Suika can verify."

"Oni as accomplice."

_I guess Reimu was right; I'll have to divert her attention._ "Oh, come on, Aya. Orphan's far more likely to be involved than either of us."

"Orphan? Who's Orphan."

_Got you._ "A young woman who showed up here two days ago-maybe three by now. You really need to start working at more reasonable hours."

"The quest for the truth never sleeps!" Aya declared proudly.

"Whatever," Nol said. "Anyways, she came to Gensokyo from the outside world, where she'd been living. She told me that five years ago, she woke up with no memory. She made her way to Gensokyo in search of her identity; she believes herself to be from here. Hey, hold on. You're all over the place, right? Do you know of any disappearances that happened around five years ago?"

"The only one I know of is-" Aya cut herself off. "Oh, shit, is it-?"

"You do know about one?"

Aya was excited. "If it's her, then I-wait." She fumbled around in her bag, eventually removing a picture and handing it to Nol. "Here, Nol. This is a picture of the person I'm thinking of. Is this your 'Orphan'?"

Nol examined the photo. "Actually, I think so. She's five years older now, of course, but yes, this may very well be her. What do you know?"

"She vanished unexpectedly five years ago. It was kept as quiet as possible. Nobody outside her land even knows anything happened to her, and people within her land just think she was killed somehow. Only my relentless pursuit of the truth let me discover that she actually vanished."

"I see."

Aya couldn't contain her excitement. "This is big. This is huge. This is-where is she? Where did she go?"

"She went to visit various places and see if anyone recognized her. I'll tell you where she went first, but I'd like something in return."

"That's extortion!"

"I don't want money or anything like that. I want information. Nobody's willing to tell me what the hell's going on; even Reimu didn't tell me what problem she's trying to solve."

"Oh. Well, that's easy." Aya reached into her bag again, pulling out a copy of her paper and handing it to Nol. "This is an issue from last week. It's got a big cover story about the demon activity. Now where'd she go?"

"She went to the Scarlet Devil Mansion first, but keep in mind that I don't know if she's still there, and I don't know where she would've gone next."

"Good enough," Aya said. She ran out of the shrine and took to the air. "Thanks!" she called out as she flew away.

_Right,_ Nol thought. _That actually went fairly well. Now let's see just what's going on here._

* * *

Mokou wiped her intestines off of herself. 'Okay, I'll admit it: that was a good one."

"Enough of this," Kaguya said. "Why are we still doing this?"

"Aw, don't back off now. Or is the little bitch done already?"

"I don't want to do this, Mokou."

Kaguya got a facefull of fire in response "Too bad."

"How long do these battles usually go for?" I asked Eirin.

"Not this long," Eirin said. "This is definitely more than just another one of their fights; you're right about that much. But how long it'll go for is anyone's guess."

"Not necessarily. Mokou isn't taking one of the items every time she kills Kaguya. I would assume she intends to end the fight upon taking the last one."

"So we can use that to get a general idea."

I nodded. "And Mokou just took the robe. Only the branch and the bowl are left."

"She'll probably leave the branch for last. That's the one her father went after; she'll probably want to end on that one."

I looked away again as Mokou literally ripped out Kaguya's heart. "Ugh."

"Yeah," Eirin said. "This is a nasty one."

"But you can stand seeing it."

"I've been a doctor for over a thousand years. Queasiness is something I overcame a long time ago." And then she promptly looked away. "Although that doesn't mean I want to watch someone literally being fed her own innards."

When the sounds of battle paused, the two of us looked back to see Kaguya vomit all over herself. "Oh, now that's just gross," Mokou said. "Come on, Kaguya, don't you have any standards?"

Kaguya responded by blowing Mokou's head off. "Just shut up."

As soon as Mokou's head was back, she stood up. "Well, then. Looks like you've still got some fight left. Good, because I'm not done yet."

* * *

Alice was pleased by how quickly London Delta returned with Byakuren. "Hello, Byakuren," she said, holding the door open. "Please, come in."

Byakuren looked around as she entered. "Hmm… many dolls, but I don't think these are alive. Where are the ones you brought to life?"

"Guadalupe and Moscow are in my workshop," Alice said. "You can meet them in a bit, if you'd like. London, Holland, Copenhagen, Hourai, and Moscow have been in Makai for much of the day. And Shanghai entered Makai about five minutes ago-as soon as I finished her backup, since Moscow found a target for her."

"Backup?"

"I've set it up so that everything my children experience is recorded in dolls of their respective models. If something happens to one of them, I can bring the backup to life. This way, they will survive even if they are killed."

"I see," Byakuren said. "But you have a reason for calling me here at this hour, correct?"

"'This hour'? You're a youkai, Byakuren; you don't need all that much sleep."

"I used to be human, you know. Just like you."

"True, although how the daughter of Shinki could be a human even I have no clue about."

Byakuren chuckled. "A good point, I suppose. And you're right that I'm not human now. I suppose I'm just used to dealing with them; we get more human traffic than youkai traffic, I think primarily due to our temple's proximity to the Human Village. But again, we are getting distracted."

"Yes," Alice said. "Well, you probably have at least some idea as to what this is about."

"I would expect so. Would it be correct to assume that you have news of what's happening in Makai?"

"It would," Alice said, "and the situation's not good. It looks like Makai's just about ready to attack Gensokyo. As in a war."

Silence.

"Hold on," Byakuren said. "A war? With Gensokyo? Are you sure?"

"My children tell me it's pretty obvious."

"Okay," Byakuren said, "let's assume that's the case. Why would Shinki do such a thing?"

"She… they think… they… and…"

Byakuren waited for Alice to compose herself. "I'll just say it," Alice said. "They say that Shinki's dead. And that I killed her."

Byakuren was silent. And then the second part sunk in. "W-w-w-w-what? She- they- you- what- um, okay, um…"

"That was basically my reaction," Alice remarked. "Apparently, the general public believes that it was a conspiracy by Gensokyo big-shots to get rid of her. They've been told that I was able to do it because I shared her blood."

"But… that's wrong, isn't it? You couldn't have-"

"You're correct, but who else would know that?"

"I… that's not good," Byakuren said. "How could she have been killed?"

"I don't know," Alice said. "It shouldn't be possible, but doing anything to her shouldn't have been possible, and clearly someone did something to her. And I don't know how. But I believe I've identified someone who does. Moscow's trailing her at the moment, and Shanghai's heading to rendezvous with Moscow. I didn't want to just send a message, and I had work to do, but I thought you'd want to know."

"You were correct," Byakuren said. "Thank you for telling me, and if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."

"Actually," Alice said, "I think there is something you can do."

**Uh-oh, looks like Aya's getting involved. And Byakuren. And Wriggle's in for a fight. And other stuff. So yeah.**

**Anyways, reviews are appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9: Choices

**Chapter 9  
**_Choices_

"Okay," Eirin said as Mokou tore Kaguya's arm off, "I'm about ready to intervene."

"Not yet," I said. "Let the battle continue. Mokou just took the fourth item; we'll intervene once she takes the branch."

"Isn't that supposed to be when the fight ends anyways?"

"That's what I think Mokou intends, but-" I looked away as Mokou tore Kaguya's chest open, "-Kaguya doesn't know that. She probably won't realize that Mokou's done with the fight."

Eirin thought for a moment. "Good point. I just hope it doesn't take too much longer."

* * *

Wriggle rose into the air to face Marisa as the witch approached. "Whoa," Marisa said. "That you, Wriggle?"

"More or less," Wriggle said. She knew exactly what had thrown Marisa off; her appearance was different now, different even from what the demon had seen. The change had occurred during the trip back to Eientei. Wriggle's dress had changed color from white to black, and her eyes from green to red. This was what Cirno and the others had seen, and it was what Marisa was seeing now. Wriggle didn't know the reason for the additional change, but her guess was that it had happened as the power had fully joined to her, truly becoming hers. This, then, was its real mark, and the black dress what the First had truly worn.

"'More or less'? What's that supposed to mean, ze?"

"Exactly what it sound like. There have been changes, but I am still me."

"Changes, huh? Well, whatever. Where's Reimu?"

"I have not seen her," Wriggle said.

"Yeah, you're lying, ain'tcha? Reimu's gone, you're all weird and look different, I'm not buying it."

"I think we both know that you don't particularly care whether I'm telling the truth or not," Wriggle said. "I know how you operate. As soon as you saw me, there was no avoiding a fight. It wouldn't matter what I said. You see someone, you attack them. That's how you work. So quit pretending like what I have to say makes any difference."

Marisa laughed. "Man, you've got some guts now! I like that, ze! Well, if you want a fight so bad, then-"

Wriggle cut her off. "I do not. You're the one who wants a fight."

"Okay, you're trying to confuse me, aren't you? Or something. But too bad, 'cause I know just how to deal with misdirection."

"Let me guess: blow people up."

"Exactly, ze! Glad you understand!"

"I understand perfectly," Wriggle said, repeating what she'd done when facing the demon, passing her voice through surrounding insects to give it a booming and echoing effect. "You are the one who is in over your head. You have no idea what you're up against."

"Oh, really? Well, if you're so tough, then prove it, ze!"

Wriggle took hold of a card. As the one being challenged, convention held that she had first right to use a music card. And she'd changed more than just her spellcards. In addition to upgrading her old ones, she'd made some new ones with the blank cards she'd asked Tewi to get. She'd also remixed her theme of choice, and she activated that card now. "Very well. Just know that your downfall tonight is of your own choosing."

"Geez, whatever."

"You would do well to have care, Kirisame. You have no idea what it is you face."

Marisa laughed. "And just what the hell is that supposed to mean, anyways?"

"I told you that I have changed. You cannot possibly comprehend what I have become, and in facing me, you have sealed your fate. So let us begin. Bug Sign: Bug Storm!"

Wriggle formed medium-sized shots around herself, firing them outwards in streams as they formed. At a certain distance, each shot split into multiple smaller shots. The density of incoming fire was a surprise to Marisa, but the witch was still able to slip through unhit, and she returned fire with a spread of star-shaped shots.

As she canceled her spellcard, Wriggle formed several 'nodes', which could be moved independently from herself and used to fire danmaku. She sent them at Marisa in a spread pattern. The nodes left mid-sized bullets in their paths that soon spread out. As with the spellcard, it was a pattern Marisa had seen before, just a lot more dense and harder to navigate through. But she still managed to do it, although she did only barely avoid colliding with a node at one point.

"Pretty good," Marisa said, "but not good enough. Love Sign: Non-Directional Laser!" She fired larger star-shaped shots in two sets of five rotating streams, one set rotating clockwise and the other clockwise. She also had two sets of lasers rotating in the same manner. Only one set of lasers fired at a time, but they switched at regular intervals. And in addition, Marisa fired off a few smaller star shots targeted at Wriggle's position.

Wriggle maneuvered carefully through the streams, staying away from the lasers, and declared a spellcard of her own. "Bug Sign: Swarm!" Hundreds of small points of light appeared all around. An instant after each one appeared, a thin laser fired from it at Marisa's position. The lasers only remained briefly, but new points of light were appearing constantly, and the barrage didn't let up.

In the end, it came down to surprise. Not only was Swarm a completely new spellcard, it was a much more difficult one than anything Marisa had seen from Wriggle-or almost anyone else, for that matter. It sounded simple, but it was a lot harder than one might think. In addition, the frequency and density of the lasers were high. Marisa did her best, but she was hit before Wriggle was. Multiple times; the lasers didn't stop coming just because one had hit her, and the strike provided a momentary distraction that allowed her to get hit by many more or them. It 'broke' her spellcard, as well, ending that pattern. And although a card could be reused, it needed some time to recharge-'recompose', as it was usually called. This didn't take too long, but it did effectively limit a card to one use per battle, so Wriggle didn't have to worry about that one again. But that still left Marisa with plenty of options.

Marisa managed to break away from the lasers and simply dodged until the card 'timed out' and ended. "Damn," Marisa said, "that was pretty good. Now try this! Magic Space: Asteroid Belt!" Five nodes appeared around her, rotating clockwise and firing fairly sparse sprays of stars behind them. Marisa herself began firing off a large number of rotating streams of larger stars, creating a very dense field. And the shots from the nodes only made things trickier.

Wriggle returned fire with some basic danmaku of her own, repeating her earlier node pattern, but her focus was on dodging. It was very difficult to keep track of the small stars among the larger ones, though, and she took hits. They were minor hits, though, and Wriggle ignored them as she focused on dodging the larger and more dangerous shots.

As the spellcard ended, Marisa spun several nodes around herself that let out sprays of stars. "I know you are capable of more," Wriggle said. "You fail to appreciate my power, and this shall be your doom. Queen's Spear: Stinger!" What formed in Wriggle's hand wasn't the exact spear that she'd wielded against the demon, but a danmaku version of it. Wriggle threw the spear, and it sailed towards Marisa at high speed, leaving in its wake dense twin streams of shots that began expanding outward. Marisa dodged the spear, but it swung around and came at her again from a different angle. "Wah!"

As the spear made more passes, avoiding it became more and more difficult; as the bullets it was leaving grew in number, movement became more and more restricted. Before long, Marisa fell into the trap of focusing too much on the field of shots, forgetting about the spear until it was too late. The spear came in from the left, impacting Marisa and knocking the witch to the side, sending her through a number of the bullets.

"Okay," Marisa said, "fine. If that's the way you want it, then playtime's over. Magic Cross: Grand Cross!" She began firing bullets in six-shot groups, while at the same time spraying fireballs everywhere. Then she added rotating beams, and then large orbs that spun around her. The orbs had the effect of blocking the beams, but Wriggle soon found that trying to take advantage of this wasn't the smartest of ideas. Attempting to stay in the 'safe zone' while avoiding all the other shots served as a distraction and got Wriggle a fireball to the face. She then didn't react quickly enough as the orb moved away, and took a direct hit from one of the beams.

Wriggle made a quick recovery and swung above Marisa, waiting for a straight shot that wouldn't cross paths with any beams or orbs, and when she saw her chance, she took it. "Kamikaze: Wriggle Kick!" She shot towards Marisa at high speed, feet-first, a barrier of green energy protecting her from any minor shots she collided with-although it wouldn't have protected her from the beams or orbs, which is why she'd needed a path free of both.

Marisa didn't have enough time to react. She took a direct hit, breaking her spellcard and sending her flying. Wriggle's card, on the other hand, wasn't the same variety. 'Instant-use' cards, as they were called, weren't shot patterns. They were individual attacks, such as the kick or Marisa's well-known Master Spark. Shot patterns were not a part of them. In addition, instant-use cards were 'depleted' less per use than regular spellcards, and thus could usually be used multiple times before being completely drained and needing to recompose. The number of uses, of course, varied by card; Master Spark was noteworthy there because it was one of the very, very few instant-use spellcards that did need to recompose after every use.

Wriggle didn't let up, immediately declaring another card. "Hive Sign: Fury of the Hive!" Marisa, not knowing what to expect, didn't move away in time, and found herself enclosed by the energy wall. The bullets and lasers came fast and dense, but Marisa managed to avoid every single one. Until the beam came. That caught her off-guard and scored a direct hit, knocking her out through the wall.

Marisa righted herself as Wriggle canceled the card. "Nice one," she said, breathing heavily. "I guess you're tougher than I thought after all. Magic Bullet: Test Slave!" Marisa threw out a large orb, which remained connected to her by a beam. The orb sprayed shots as Marisa swung it around, attempting to hit Wriggle with it. Dodging it wasn't too hard, or wouldn't have been if it wasn't spraying shots. And then there was the fact that Wriggle couldn't pass between the orb and Marisa, thanks to the beam.

Wriggle dodged another swing by dropping into an open area under it, but it soon became clear that Marisa has expected this, as she cancelled the card directly into another. "Love Sign: Master Spark!" It was a direct hit, and Wriggle was slammed into the ground by the blast. "You fell for it!" Marisa called out as the Spark ended.

Wriggle got to her feet and rose into the air again. "You had enough yet?" Marisa asked.

Wriggle knew she was far from unharmed, but she knew she could keep going-although she wasn't completely certain how much longer she could go for, as she hadn't tested her limits yet-and from the looks of things, Marisa was almost spent. "You cannot hope to win, Kirisame," Wriggle said. "Despair, for your doom is nigh! Insect Queen's Wrath!"

Nodes formed around the combatants and sent out streams of energy, forming a large sphere around the two. Each node remained connected to Wriggle by a beam, and the nodes began moving rapidly upon the surface of the sphere, spraying shots inward as they did. Wriggle began densely spraying shots herself, and she also threw out more nodes. These nodes sprayed lasers as they moved, rebounding away at an angle whenever they hit each other or the wall of the sphere.

Marisa had a very difficult time keeping up with the chaotic storm of danmaku, but she managed. Until Wriggle begin firing a large beam, that is. Marisa did manage to dodge it, but Wriggle simply swept it along after her, requiring her to keep moving quickly, which, of course, made avoiding everything else a lot more difficult. Before long, Marisa flew straight into one of the beams connecting the sphere's nodes to Wriggle, which knocked her off balance long enough for Wriggle to catch her with the large beam, sending her flying out through the sphere and into the ground.

Wriggle ended the spellcard and dropped to the ground in front of Marisa, who was struggling to stand. "You failed to heed my warning," she said. "This is the result. You understand now that you cannot hope to best me."

Marisa was completely worn out-danmaku combat was by nature more tiring than regular combat. This was another factor by which it reduced actual damage and injury, as danmaku battles were generally shorter. "You're… not Wriggle," Marisa managed to get out. "Who… are… you?"

"You're wrong. I am Wriggle. I have merely claimed that which is mine by right of birth."

"What the… hell… are you… talking about?"

"Exactly what I said."

"Fine, I'll be… more specific: if you're… really… Wriggle… how do you… suddenly have… that much power?"

"I told you; I have claimed that which is mine by right of birth."

"Oh, fine, whatever." Marisa managed to seat herself properly on her broom. "Be that way. Just don't… cause any trouble." And with that, she left.

* * *

"Woah," Tewi said as the group saw Marisa go down, "she actually did it."

"Yeah!" Mystia called out. "Way to go, Wriggle!"

"Pretty good," Daiyousei said.

"Yeah, Marisa's had that coming for a long time."

Cirno and Rumia stood back a ways; Rumia had pulled Cirno aside while the others were watching the battle. "Nice," she said.

"You've got that right," Cirno said. "And Marisa had it coming."

"That she did. Anyways, getting back on topic, I think we should do it. The coil's going to break eventually, and I'd prefer if this happened under controlled circumstances. And… well, I want to get this over with."

"But- but- but- but- but-"

"Please, Cirno."

"I don't want to hurt you, Rumia."

"It'll hurt even if you don't do anything. It hurts when the coil's damage worsens. It'll hurt if you break it, and it'll hurt if we wait and let it break. All you'll be doing is letting me choose when it happens."

"But then what happens to you?"

"I don't know," Rumia said, "but we're going to find out eventually, and like I said, I'd rather just get it over with."

"But-"

"I'll be okay, Cirno."

"No you won't! You'll be hurt. You'll-"

"It hurts even now."

"Huh?"

"The pain's not major," Rumia said, "but it's there, and I'd imagine it'll only get worse. Sure, it'll hurt when you break the coil, but then it'll be gone."

"I… well, um… well, I, uh… well, all right."

"Thank you." _Sorry, Cirno. Once this is done, I'll apologize._

* * *

Mokou literally lost her head. "Plus one for Kaguya," Eirin said.

_Um, is she…_ "Are you keeping score?"

"Decapitation tally. Mokou's decapitated Kaguya 3,231 times, and counting this one, Kaguya's decapitated Mokou 3,309 times."

"Um. You're tallying their decapitations."

"Yes," Eirin said.

"And this doesn't seem at all strange to you?"

"Not anymore."

_Right. This has been happening for over a thousand years. I guess she just became desensitized to it after a while._

Apparently, resurrection took longer after losing a head, but eventually, Mokou was back on her feet, and she wasted no time. She charged in almost immediately, slamming Kaguya to the ground. Then she blew Kaguya's head off.

"Plus one for Mokou," Eirin remarked. I, however, was focusing on Mokou's actions.

"That's five," I said. "Mokou has the branch. Let's get in there."

Mokou backed away from Kaguya and waited for the Lunarian to resurrect. As Kaguya got to her feet, Eirin and I moved between her and Mokou.

"Get out of the way," Kaguya said. Neither of us moved. "I said, 'get out of the way'!" We still didn't move. "That's an order, Eirin!"

"Go," I whispered to Eirin. "You don't have to disobey her. I can handle this."

"You, too, Orphan," Kaguya said as Eirin moved aside.

"If you insist on continuing this battle," I said, "then I will stand aside, but first, take note of yourself."

"Excuse me?"

"Examine yourself," I said. "I think you'll find something noteworthy."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I do believe you're missing something."

"Fine, if it'll get you out of my way." Kaguya started looking over herself. "Yeah, I don't see any-wait, where are the treasures?"

I backed away as Mokou approached, carrying the five items. Kaguya tensed up as Mokou drew close, but nobody attacked. Mokou set the items down in front of Kaguya one at a time. "The Fire Rat's Robe. The Buddha's Stone Bowl. The Dragon's Necklace. The Swallow's Cowry Shell. The Jeweled Branch of Hourai." Mokou stepped back. "I believe that's all five of the items you named."

Kaguya quite clearly had no idea what was going on. 'Huh?"

"Think about it, Kaguya," I said. "What was the reason for your conflict?"

"Mokou blames me for her father's death."

"And he died because…"

"Because he attempted to find the Jeweled Branch of Hourai."

"And what was he doing in a more general sense?"

"Um… trying to secure a wife?"

"Not quite that general."

"Okay. Um… oh! He was trying to complete my challenge."

I nodded. "Exactly."

I waited, but Kaguya didn't seem to make the connection. Eventually, Mokou stepped up to her again. "Oh, come on. Isn't it obvious? What did I just do?"

"You fought me."

"Jeez, Kaguya, this isn't that hard. Yes, we fought, but during the battle, what happened?"

"Um…"

Mokou gave an exasperated sigh. "I took the five items, Kaguya."

There was another pause, but then it suddenly hit Kaguya. "Oh. Wait, what? Are you saying-"

"That I just completed your challenge? Yes, I am."

"Wha- but- I- you- uh-"

Mokou indicated me. "Orphan there told me something. She said that maybe you didn't expect so many people to attempt the challenge, that Lunarians would have responded differently. Is that true?"

"I… um, yes," Kaguya said. "I didn't even think about it until you killed me that first time. After that, I looked into it, and I saw that you were right. That's why I withdrew the challenge." Her tone was hopeful. "Are you saying-"

"That I forgive you? No. I still can't do that, but Orphan said something else, too. She said that I didn't have to forgive you, that I could end the conflict instead. She's the one who suggested that I complete the challenge."

"I was not, however, expecting a fight like that," I said. "An ordinary battle between you two-so that Mokou could take the items-would have been one thing, but I was not expecting such a drawn-out, brutal, bloody battle. I think I know why you did it, though, Mokou. You were attempting to purge your lingering hatred towards her, weren't you?"

"That is indeed what I was doing." She turned back to Kaguya. "And I have to say, you did put up a pretty good fight."

Kaguya's relief was plain to see. "I like to think so. Eirin, who won?"

"Huh?"

"Mokou has decapitated Kaguya 3,232 times," Eirin said. "Kaguya has decapitated Mokou 3,310 times. Kaguya wins."

"Okay," Mokou said, "hold on. You were having Eirin keep a decapitation count?"

"Yes."

There was a pause, followed by laughter. "I think that's the best thing I've heard all week."

I turned to Eirin. "I think we should give these two some time alone."

"Yeah," Eirin said, smiling. "I just hope this sticks."

* * *

_My name is Eirin Yagokoro._

_They called me the 'Brain of the Moon'. I did not dispute this title; after all, there is no doubt as to my level of genius. I realize how that statement may sound, but there is no boasting involved. My genius is well-established, and I do not believe that false modesty is appropriate. If it's not true, that's one thing, but I truly am at that level, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise._

_My field is medicine. I have been a doctor for over thirteen hundred years. I have been developing new treatments throught that entire time period; many of my procedures have become standard practice among Lunarians, as their effectiveness is unrivaled. I am the one who cured the 'Great Lunar Plague', and I have cured countless other diseases. I have even stopped death._

_Research on immortality was strictly forbidden, so I had to conduct that work in secret. I was hardly the first to attempt the development of an elixir of immortality, and given the secrecy required, I suppose it's possible that someone before be managed to succeed. However, I doubt it, because when my elixir was first used, it was not long before people realized what had happened._

_I have always been close the Princess Kaguya. We've been close friends all our lives, and eventually, she had employed me directly as head of her medical staff. She was the only person who knew of my secret work, and she is the one who consumed the Hourai Elixir. I myself did not. I wanted to succeed in developing immortality; I had no interest is claiming it for myself._

_When Kaguya's immortality was discovered, she was stripped of her right to the throne and exiled to Earth. I, however, was merely imprisoned; apparently, making someone immortal is a much lesser crime than becomming immortal. I was imprisoned for some time, but compared to Kaguya, my sentence was light. I was even allowed to resume my work upon my release, although I was required to submit to additional monitoring._

_As it turned out, Kaguya's crime was eventually forgiven; her mother had always claimed that not wanting to die is natural, and I suppose she was finally able to convince the right people of this. The problem was that Kaguya had come to prefer life on Earth._

_I was selected as part of the party that went to retrieve Kaguya, presumably in hopes that our friendship would aid me in convincing her to return. I, however, would never go against the Princess' wishes, especially not after she was exiled while I, the one who made the elixir and thus the one far more deserving of punishment, got off much lighter. So instead of bringing her back, I aided her in driving off the rest of the part and resumed my position as her servant._

_Not wanting additional battles against fellow Lunarians, Kaguya and I went into hiding. Eventually, we learned of a plan to preserve magic by seperating the land of Gensokyo from the rest of the world. Knowing that this would remove our need to hide, Kaguya and I became residents of this new land. Eventually, we located the rabbits' mansion, Eientei, and Kaguya was allowed to reside there as its master._

_Gensokyo may currently be facing a crisis. The demons that are attacking may be part of an invasion plan. Kaguya believes so, at least, and has been attempting to unite Gensokyo under her to meet this threat. Unfortunately, others have had the same idea, and in addition, the response from Gensokyo's people has been... less than encouraging. Still, I can't help but feel optimistic. A seemingly-endless conflict has just ended, and this is enough to make anyone feel hopeful._

* * *

"That was great, Wriggle!" Cirno said as Wriggle rejoined the group. "That was awesome!"

"Indeed," Tewi said. "It's nice to see Marisa on the receiving end of a beating for once. That was impressive, Wriggle."

"Yeah," Daiyousei said, "but what was with all that stuff you were saying?"

"Just me having some fun," Wriggle replied.

"And how did you do that with your voice?" Mystia asked.

"I sent my words through nearby insects. I've found that I like the effect."

"That was crazy, though," Rumia said. "I mean, that was _Marisa_. I don't think she's lost to anyone but Reimu, and you just took her down _hard_."

"Well, it wasn't easy, but yes, She was much more powerful than any of her descendants, and I'm only now realizing just how powerful She was."

"Yeah," Cirno said. "I mean, damn."

"Glad you were impressed," Wriggle said. "Now, I do believe we were heading back to Mystia's place?"

"Cirno and I would like to detour to the lake and pick up a few things," Rumia said.

"Oh, come on, Rumia," Cirno said. "They're our friends. Tell them the truth."

"All right," Rumia said. "I'll tell you what I understood. Basically, Eirin found that the pain when the demon attacked Cirno was because some kind of magic called a 'coil' has been placed on me. Apparently, part of it's also on Cirno, and Eirin said that part's maintaining the coil. The demon's attack somehow damaged this effect, and now the coil's condition is deteriorating. Apparently, this deterioration is stimulated whenever…"

* * *

It had taken a little while, but Copenhagen and Hourai had found the Tsesek recruiting office. The man sitting at the desk looked up as they entered. "Huh. You two looking to sign up?"

"We've been considering it," Hourai said.

"Hmm…" He looked them over. "Well, what could we expect from you in combat? Magic of some kind, I would assume."

"From me," Hourai said. "Kia here is more of a physical fighter."

The man stood up and walked over to Copenhagen. "Well, you don't look like much. You sayin' you're one of those 'tougher that you look' types?" Copenhagen nodded. "Hah! Yeah, I've heard that before. And you know how many of them actually lived up to it? Not many. So, yeah, you'll have to prove yourself."

"Okay."

Copenhagen threw a punch, but the man, anticipating the move, caught it in his hands. "Yeah, 'cause nobody's made that move be-"

Copenhagen continued the punch, slamming the man's hands into his face. "I expected that."

The man shook his head. "Huh. Nice move. Not really a sufficient demonstration, but it proves you're not worthless. We've got a test course set up; you simply need to complete it. We'll need to test you, too, of course," he said, turning to Hourai. "You'll be accepted upon passing the test."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Hourai said. "We haven't made a decision yet. We need a little more information first."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Copenhagen said. "Let's be honest here; we all know you're mainly after numbers. Yeah, anyone you accept has to be able to fight to at least some extent, but you're accepting anyone you can."

"Um…"

"It's fairly obvious, you know. It's the obvious approach. Gensokyo's residents are, on average, a bit above us in power. What we have is a lot more people. So it's obvious you're going for a horde approach. The question, of course, is how many you intend to sacrifice. Because, well, we'll fight, but we don't want to be sent out to die."

"I see. Well, that's understandable. 'Course, they don't tell me too much. Although it doesn't sound like we'll be taking a very complex approach. We're not expecting coordinated resistance; that's the whole point of the advance attackers."

"And you're not worried that they may unite in preparation for an attack?" Hourai asked.

The man laughed. "At the moment, it would seem that at least three different groups are attempting to do just that. This brings them into conflict with each other. They won't be getting any 'unifying' done."

"I'd say just do nothing," Copenhagen said. "Don't give them any clue that we're coming."

"Um, you do realize that they've inevitably got someone, probably multiple someones, keeping tabs on Makai, right? We've been able to conceal most of the buildup as being nothing out of the ordinary, but now that we're just about ready to move, it's pretty obvious what we're up to. If we let that bitch Yukari do it her way, Gensokyo might actually manage to unite against us. So we panicked others into action, and now they're too occupied with each other to get anything done against us."

"That's about what I figured," Hourai said. "I'm afraid Kia doesn't have a good mind for strategy and tactics. She greatly favors the direct approach."

"There's something to be said for that. And the attack itself will be very direct. We aren't expecting too much opposition. Some of the groups, especially the mountain and Eientei, may be able to mount some decent resistance on their own, but they'll be fighting separately. Of course, even if we do face a unified Gensokyo, we're ready for that. The bosses believe in preparing for the worst. We'll have enough people to completely overwhelm them no matter how unified they are. I'd expect that the attack will go in waves, in case they have any nasty surprises planned, but, well, even if you end up in the middle of a trap, I wouldn't worry; the waves are a precaution, and I'd think each one would be large enough to handle any such problems."

"I see," Hourai said. "Well, I suppose that's not too bad. I don't think we're ready to decide right now, though. Thank you for the information, and if we decide to join, then we'll see you again."

* * *

"Hold on," Alice said to Byakuren. "I need to speak with Copenhagen and Hourai."

"You have a means by which to do so, then?"

Alice nodded. "The magical connection I needed to bring them to life allows us to communicate mentally."

"I see."

"They've actually been relaying everything they've heard to me. I've been able to handle conversing with you while listening to them, but 'speaking' with them, as it were, at the same time as I'm conversing with you would be a bit much, I think. I should be able to listen to you without difficulty, but saying two different things at the same time is a different matter."

"Understandable," Byakuren said. "Converse with them, then. I can wait."

"Thank you," Alice said. [_Okay, you two, back to the original plan, except I want you two to stick together. The gossip there may be different than what London and Holland picked up, especially since Tsesek doesn't just have a recruiting facility. Neos is close enough that I'm sure there are rumors flying around that you wouldn't here in a smaller town._]

[_We know the plan, Mother,_] Hourai sent. [_We spotted a busy-looking tavern while looking for the recruitment center, too, remember? We're on our way there right now. In the meantime, I assume you have some thoughts on what the recruitment officer said._]

[_Nothing was too surprising, although I didn't expect him to know or volunteer so freely that information about the advance force, even if it was limited to confirming my suspicions. I suppose it's a sign of how close they are to ready; they don't feel a need to keep that classified any more._]

[_People've probably known about the advance force for a while, though, right?_] Copenhagen out in. [_I doubt its purpose was any major secret._]

[_There would certainly have been rumors,_] Alice agreed, [_but I wouldn't have expected people like that recruitment officer to confirm them so freely, or even to have been told they're true at all. As I said, it's probably a sign of how soon they'll be attacking. Secrecy simply isn't a worry for them now. They think it's too late for anything to change, and I'm afraid they're right._]

[_But isn't that why we're taking action?_]

[_Yes, and I intend to continue as planned, as least for now. But given the situation regarding myself and my mother, actually stopping this is probably beyond my capability at this point in time, although I may at least be able to divert the war away from Gensokyo. But for that, I'll first have to deal with Netese, or whoever's really in charge. Which means that for now, we proceed as planned. Moscow, status update._]

[_She's definitely headed for Kases,_] Moscow replied. [_There's no question there anymore. I don't know if it's her current destination or just a point along the way, but at this point, there's no doubt that she's going there._]

[_Shanghai?_]

[_Still on my way, Mother. I should catch up to Moscow within the hour._]

[_Remember to-_]

[_Hold back from Moscow's position, I know. She's the one who's made for stealth; they'll see me more easily. I know the plan, Mother._]

[_Just be careful, Shanghai._]

[_I will._]

[_Good._] "Done," Alice said. "Sorry about that."

"It's not a problem," Byakuren said. "I want to get to the bottom of this as much as you do."

"I know," Alice said. "Thank you. Now, as I was saying, Moscow followed this 'Netese' when she left Pandemonium, and is still doing so. Shanghai is heading out to rendezvous with Moscow and…"

* * *

"Well," Eirin said as she led me towards Eientei, "I suppose we might as well get started with some basic questions."

"Let me guess," I said, "you're going to ask me what power I have."

"I take it you've been asked that before, then."

I nodded. "It's the first thing everyone thinks of to ask. And I suppose it makes sense that they would. The thing is that I believe that the power I have now and the power I had before my memory loss are different."

"You're certain of this?"

"As certain as I can be. Using my power gives me a sense of wrongness, a sense that it's different."

"I see. Hmm… well, what is your current power?"

"My power is that of nature, of the land and the sea."

"Land and sea," Eirin said. "Not sky?"

"Um, no. Is that important?"

"It could be. If your power is indeed power over the forces of nature, then it is incomplete if it applies only to land and sea. This brings to mind two possibilities regarding the change in your power."

"Please explain."

"Certainly," Eirin said. "You see, a complete change from one power to another is likely impossible-although I suppose it wouldn't be the only impossible thing I've seen today. Anyways, I think the fact that you have power over land and sea but not sky is a significant clue, and it brings to mine two possibilities.

"The first possibility is that originally, you did indeed have the complete set of land, sea, and sky, and that the change is a loss of the sky portion of your power. I don't know what could have caused such a loss, but I suppose the natural assumption is that it's somehow related to your memory loss."

"I would think it probably is related," I said. "What is the other possibility?"

"You have power over land and sea," Eirin said. "The second possibility is that your original power was limited to one of those two, and that the change is the addition of the other. And without your memory, you would have had to learn both from scratch, so there would have been no clue there as to which is which."

"Both give me the same feeling."

"If so, that makes the second possibility less likely."

"Are there any other possibilities?" I asked.

"Yes," Eirin said. "As I said before, a complete change is supposed to be impossible, but I've already seen something today that's supposed to be impossible, so it probably should not be ruled out. There's also the possibility that you originally had highly varied abilities, and that your current abilities are simply all you've retained after whatever it is that happened to you-which the losing-sky-powers possibility would fall under. Aside from that, it could also have been a copy, a drain, or an exchange."

"And those are?"

"A copy is just what it sounds like," Eirin said. "That would mean your powers became a copy of someone else's. An exchange is similarly obvious; you and someone else would have switched powers. A drain would be you, well, taking the power of someone else such that you have it and they no longer do. I would consider that the least likely possibility, though. Out of all the possibilities, I think the copy is the most likely, with the exchange being in second place. Incidentally, none of these are things that anyone knows how to do deliberately. It's not even known what actually causes them, and all are extremely rare-I've only seen three cases of power change in over a thousand years, yourself not included."

"I see."

"Now, if you copied someone else's powers, it's likely that your original powers still remain within you somewhere. Two of those previous cases were copies-the third being an exchange-and in both cases, the affected's original powers remained within them. The copied powers merely took dominance. It is possible to regain one's original powers, but doing so comes at the cost of the copied powers. One's original power can remain more easily than a copied power can, and if the original power becomes dominant again, the copied power fades away.

"If, on the other hand, what happened is an exchange, then you would not have your original powers; the one you exchanged with would. However, although it is not known how to induce an exchange, there is a proven method for undoing one, a method I developed myself for use on the exchange case I had. It's much easier than causing an exchange, as undoing one involves just taking powers that don't belong and helping them return to where they do belong."

"So the process is reversible."

"Yes," Eirin said. "For the other possibilities I mentioned, I am not sure, but I know for a fact that those most likely two are reversible. If it's one of the other possibilities, then I am afraid that your case is within the unknown."

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Daiyousei asked.

"That's exactly the eighth time you've asked that," Mystia remarked. "And yes, I've been counting."

"It's their choice," Wriggle said. "I will not interfere."

The three of them and Tewi landed in front of Mystia's house, and Mystia led them inside. "I just don't like it," Dai said. "There's no telling what'll happen when they break this 'coil' thing. What if Rumia dies?"

"She won't," Mystia said. "Think about it, Dai. The coil is a seal, right? Whatever it was placed around is something she used to have. So, yeah, getting it back won't kill her. I'm more worried that it might do something else to her, but remember what Rumia said about Eirin? Eirin seemed to think that breaking it's the best idea, right? And she knows what she's doing."

"And the part about them being alone? Obviously Eirin thinks something will happen."

"And she also thinks that the two of them will be fine."

"I gave them some luck, too," Tewi said. "Don't worry so much."

"But what if it releases some monster or something? Shouldn't you be there, Wriggle?"

"They said they wanted to be by themselves," Wriggle said. "It's their decision to make. I'm keeping eyes on them, though, don't worry."

"Keeping- oh yeah, the seeing-through-insects thing."

"I'll know if something happens," Wriggle assured her. "I'll know."

"I still don't like it," Dai said. She moved into the next room.

Tewi turned to Mystia and Wriggle. "So what do think? Six more times? Five? Four? Because she's not going to stop asking until they actually break the thing, you know that, right?"

There was a pause. "She already left, didn't she?" Mystia said.

"Didn't even stop," Wriggle said. "Entered the room and went straight for the window."

"Wait," Tewi said, "she's gone? And you expected her to leave? And you didn't stop her?"

"She's lying unconscious a few meters away," Wriggle said. "I had appropriate insects waiting. Their poisons knocked her out. It's a short-lasting effect, though. She'll be awake again in a few minutes; let's go bring her back inside."

"You do that," Tewi said. "I'm going to go make the disposal drop."

"I still think you should've done that during the battle."

"Like I was going to miss that fight. Don't worry," Tewi said as she left, "this won't be a problem."

* * *

Aya landed in front of the sleeping Meiling. "China!" Nothing. "Hey, China!" Still no response. "Right, then," Aya muttered. "Time for step 2." Then she applied danmaku to Meiling's face.

Meiling was knocked backwards into the wall. "Waugh!"

"Wake up, China!"

Meiling took a moment to compose herself. "Okay, what the hell was-Aya?"

"Hi. I have a few-"

"You're not welcome here. You know that."

"I just have a few questions, then I'll be on my-"

Meiling assumed a ready stance. "You'll be on your way right now. You have no business here."

"Probably not. She's probably left by now."

"Hold on, left?"

"Yes," Aya said. "I'm looking for a woman who goes by 'Orphan'. I heard from Nol at the shrine that she was headed here."

Meiling thought for a moment. "Hmm… actually, there was someone, although I never got her name. I was ready to fight her off, but then she pulled a dirty trick on me and got past."

Aya took out the photo she'd showed Nol. "This look like her?"

"I didn't pay much attention to what she looked like," Meiling said, but she took a look at the photo anyways. "Actually, that may just be her. She had the same hat, at least."

"Then it's her," Aya said. "Where is she now?"

"The Human Village. I heard her and Yuugi talking about it as they left."

"Yuugi? Shit! The oni have her? She's been captured? Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, on shit."

"Actually," Meiling said, "I think Yuugi was just-" But Aya was already gone. "Figures. That woman's a menace. Well, at least she's got her sights on someone else."

* * *

It was about an hour until sunrise by the time Cirno and Rumia arrived at Misty Lake. The pair found a nice empty spot along the shore of the lake and landed.

"Rumia," Cirno said, "are you sure about this?"

"We need to do it," Rumia replied. "We've been over this, Cirno."

"I know, but I still don't want to do it."

"Please, Cirno."

"Hey, I already said I would. I just don't want to."

"I know," Rumia said. The pair stood silently for a moment.

"Rumia," Cirno said.

"Yeah?"

"Promise you won't leave me. Promise me that whatever happens, you'll still be here."

"I promise, Cirno," Rumia said. "As long as I'm alive, I won't leave you. And, Cirno?"

"Yeah?"

"If… if something happens… if I go crazy or something… I want you to be there for me."

"You won't go crazy," Cirno said. "I won't let you. No matter what happens, you'll get through this, because if anything does happen to you, I'll be there to get you back. I promise."

"Thank you, Cirno," Rumia said, and the pair embraced.

The two of them separated after a few seconds. "Right," Rumia said, "let's get this over with. Ready?"

"No," Cirno said, "but I'm as close as I'm going to be."

"Then let's do it."

* * *

**Yeah, I am clearly having more fun with Wriggle than is legal.**

**There's one thing I'd like to talk about. More than one review mentioned my portrayal of Marisa as being overly trigger-happy. Those reviewers said that they'd seen Marisa as a more rational individual. I, however, do not see her that way. As I see it, she's extremely aggresive; hell, the Alice scenario in SA even has her say that beating up unrelated people is what she usually does. So while you're all free to have your own preferred interpretations of the character, mine is that she's very aggressive. It's really just a matter of opinion and preference.**

**And as always, reviews are appreciated.**


	10. Chapter 10: Coil

**Chapter 10  
**_Coil_

The sun was beginning to rise as Eirin and I reached our destination. One of the rabbit guards stepped forward as we approached Eientei's main entrance. "Lady Eirin, Tewi asked me to relay that 'Cirno's group' left a couple hours ago."

"Oh?" Eirin said. "I wasn't expecting Rin to let Mystia out quite that soon."

"I think Tewi pulled rank."

"I see. Okay, I need you to head into the forest the way I came from, and quickly. Find Kaguya and Mokou-and no, you don't have to worry about getting caught in the crossfire. Tell Mokou that Cirno and Rumia left a couple hours ago, and that I did as we discussed. She'll know what you mean. Go."

"Yes, ma'am!" The rabbit took off into the forest at high speed.

"That looks dangerous," I said, "flying through the forest that quickly."

"It's a lot easier than it looks," Eirin said. "Kaguya and I just happen to prefer walking through it to flying through it. Anyways, if we're going to make any progress, then I'll need to take a look at you. Come."

* * *

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

It hurt. It hurt, but Cirno had to keep going. She knew that. It was too late to change her mind now. It hurt even when she did nothing. When she used her power, the pain was extreme. She always kept going as long as she could, but the pain always overwhelmed her before long. So she would take a break, then do it again.

Rumia, of course, was also in pain. "Aaaaaaooooowwwwwwuuuuuugggggg." Her pain was probably worse, since she was the one the coil was placed on.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!"

The pain overwhelmed Cirno, and she fell to the ground, breathing heavily. "I don't think it'll be much longer," Rumia said. "Come on, Cirno. You can do it. Just a little more, and it'll all be over."

* * *

Daiyousei exited the small room Wriggle was using and walked over to Mystia. "Okay, Wriggle's really starting to weird me out."

"What do you mean?" Mystia asked.

"Um… well, how about you just go see for yourself?"

"Okay, whatever." Mystia got up and entered the room. Then she saw Wriggle and stopped dead in her tracks. "Um…"

Wriggle was floating about a foot off the floor, and looked like she was in some sort of trance. She was faintly glowing, too. And then there were the insects. There were many of them all over her body, and they were all glowing brightly. Some were of the larger-than-normal variety unique to Gensokyo. Especially noticeable were the… centipedes, or millipedes, or whatever. _The wormy-things._

Mystia just stood and stared. Before long, the glow faded, Wriggle returned to the ground and opened her eyes, and the insects crawled and flew out the window, which Mystia saw was open. "Um, Wriggle? What was that?"

"I have empowered them," Wriggle said. "They will serve as my attendants-and don't you dare make the pun; I made sure there were no ants for precisely that reason."

"Um…"

"What? Did it look strange, or something?"

"Um, yeah," Mystia said. "That, plus I've never seen you do anything like it before."

"That's because I haven't," Wriggle said, taking a seat. She motioned for Mystia to sit. "It's something else that's new."

Mystia sat next to Wriggle. Her wings didn't get in the way of sitting to nearly the same extent as Cirno's; she didn't need a stool like the ice fairy did. "You're just full of surprises, then."

"Hey, I'm just learning about these things, too."

"So how do you discover that you can do something like that?"

Wriggle thought for a moment. "It… well, it just happens. I'm not really sure how to describe it. Claiming Her power had far greater effects than I'd expected."

"What's it like, anyways?"

"You know," Wriggle said, "I've never liked it when people say they can't describe something, but… well, I really do have absolutely no idea how to describe it."

"You can describe parts of it, surely."

"Yeah. I guess the easiest bit to describe is simply having more power. You've improved your own abilities; you know what it feels like to expand what you can do. This is the same thing, just to a much greater extent."

"'Turned up to eleven', as Kaguya's fond of saying."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"No idea."

"Anyways," Wriggle continued, "you should at least be able to get close to an idea of what that's like, but you'll probably still be far short of the reality. It's not just having the power. It's… well, when I faced that demon yesterday, just after claiming the power, I knew I would win. I knew that it was perfectly capable of killing me, but I knew that if I didn't get careless, I would win. The same was true against Marisa, although she wouldn't have killed me. It's the same idea, though. Before, I would've been going 'oh, shit' at the thought of fighting her, but now, when I faced her, I knew I could do it. I knew I could take her."

"Are you sure that's part of the power? Sounds to me like overconfidence."

"It's only overconfidence if it's beyond your abilities," Wriggle said. "I know my limits. I'm not completely sure what they are yet, but I know them."

"Um…"

"Yeah, that doesn't even make sense to me, but it's the best way I can think of to describe it. I'm not yet aware of everything that's now within my abilities, but I do know whether or not I am capable of doing something. When faced with an opponent, I know if I can win. And when I know that I can win, I also know just how badly I could potentially lose. It's not overconfidence, just confidence. And… well, the power doesn't actually affect who I am. It's not causing the feeling of confidence; the confidence is mine. The power lets me know what I can do. And I really don't think I'm explaining this very well."

"Well enough," Mystia said. "I think I've got the general idea."

"Then yes, it's good enough. But even that isn't the hardest thing about this to explain. That would be the… well, I'm not really sure what to call it. It's kind of an… expanded awareness, I guess."

"Oh, like how you said you don't have to focus to sense or command insects now?"

"Yeah, that's part of it, but not all of it. It's like… well, actually, I doubt there's anything else like it. It's… okay, I really don't want to do some clichéd 'it's incredible' thing, but I really can't think of anything better. There really is-" she fired a burst of danmaku through the window without even pausing, "-nothing like it."

A voice could be heard from outside. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Hi, Tewi," Wriggle said, not even turning around. "Forgot that I can see through the eyes of insects, didn't you?"

Tewi jumped in through the window. "Um, yeah. Anyways, disposal successful. The books are at Marisa's house now. If Patchouli looks into it that hard, she'll conclude that Marisa faked the decoy bit so she'd be ignored."

"Right," Wriggle said. "Let's head back out to the main room. I think Cirno and Rumia are almost done, and Dai'll want to hear what's happening."

* * *

"There's not much we can do to even slow it down at this point," Byakuren said. "Unless Netese is an idiot, she'll have things set up to, at the very least, slow you down enough that it won't matter."

"So I'd need to get to Netese."

"And we both know she's not dumb enough to come herself. She'll send someone she can afford to lose."

"But not someone from the bottom," Alice said. "Whoever she sends in her place will be someone she can trust in that role. The lower ones will make up the force this person leads, and they'll be ready for a trap. Which, of course, is where you come in."

"Yes. But although what we gain from that may help, it will not be enough. We have to get Gensokyo to stand united against them."

"Which will be a problem, given that three different parties are currently attempting to unite Gensokyo under them."

"We don't need a unified Gensokyo," Byakuren said. "We only need Gensokyo to stand united against a common threat. We need to speak to those three parties and get them to cooperate."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

"The only problem I foresee is Remilia; the other two will likely be more cooperative."

"Yeah," Alice said, "but one problem's enough. We don't have time to deal with her."

"I will speak to the other two first," Byakuren said. "If we go to Remilia as a group, even she will see reason."

"Just make sure you're back here in time," Alice said.

"That will not be a problem." Byakuren got to her feet. "I should get going immediately. I think I'll speak to Kaguya first, then head to the mountain from Eientei."

"You realize we're basically screwed no matter how well this goes, right?"

"I know," Byakuren said. "Even if everything goes perfectly, it'll take a miracle to pull this off."

* * *

Eirin had me lying on a table in one of her 'examination rooms'. She had another with her, a rabbit she called 'Udonge' but had introduced as Reisen. Eirin was now explaining just what she was going to be doing. "…but none of that will mean anything without stimulus. I can't find something that isn't there, no matter how well I look."

"And that's Reisen's job, I assume," I said.

"Correct. Udonge is able to stimulate the minds of others. She will be stimulating yours in accordance with the procedure, and I will collect and examine the results. The objective is to… well, you wouldn't understand the accurate explanation. The simplified and not-really-accurate-but-close-enough version is that the objective is to locate your lost memories. This is merely the first step, and will not actually lead to you recalling anything."

"How long does the entire procedure take?"

"It varies," Eirin said, "but the usual range is one week to a month, depending on how much has been forgotten. I will know within the day if the procedure can help you, though. I will need a few hours to go over the results of the examination, and then I will know."

"The exam itself will take about half an hour," Reisen added.

"That much I have no objection to," I said. "I'm not sure if I want to remain here long enough for the entire procedure, though."

"Again, there's a good chance it wouldn't work, anyways. You can make that decision if I find that it can help you."

"Good point," I said.

"You'll be conscious throughout the exam," Reisen said, "but ironically enough, you should not expect to have a clear memory of it. Your thoughts will be… unclear. Don't worry, though; there won't be any actual damage. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Then let's get started," Eirin said.

* * *

_Given name: Reisen. Family name: Udongein. Profession name: Inaba._

_I have kept my full name despite having left the moon behind. I have developed beyond it, and were I still on the moon, would likely have received a second profession name, but I am still Inaba. I may no longer be with the Lunarian military, but I am still Inaba. I am merely in someone else's service now._

_I knew the name Eirin Yagokoro, of course; every Lunarian and lunar rabbit knows who she is. Even many of her older procedures are still in use, and many of her vaccines and cures are still famous, particularly her cure for the Plague. It's also common knowledge that long ago, she had gone into hiding on Earth alongside the missing princess, Kaguya. I never expected to go to Earth, but I did, and it happened because Earth came to us._

_The humans called it 'Apollo', among other things. Apparently, the missions were presented to the public as exploratory in nature. But they were not. Most humans believe the moon to be lifeless, but a few knew the truth. They also knew of magic, something that has been largely absent from their world for centuries. And their Apollo missions were made with this fully in mind. Apollo was not a scientific program. It was a military program. The humans attacked us._

_The first Apollo mission was the most successful, and my unit was one of those that were wiped out. I had some medical training, but I was not a field medic. I was expected to be on the front lines, fighting, but I was also expected to give immediate emergency treatment to the wounded when possible, and was often among those who moved the wounded back behind the front lines for the field medics. Others carried the bodies; my job was to provide immediate care to keep them alive until they got to a true field medic. I was performing that duty when the line fell._

_The survivors-mostly field medics or those such as myself-scattered, and we were not the only ones. Some just ran, some tried to hook up with other units, whatever. I was too frightened to pay much attention to what others were doing. Until I came upon a small group with a strange device._

_The device was an experimental teleportation unit, linked to another such unit within the city's military base. We decided to use it to escape and get to the Lunarian commanders with the news that our line had fallen. It worked for the first three, but when I passed through, the device malfunctioned, and I ended up somewhere else._

_Lunar rabbits share a telepathic connection with each other-although I found this connection to be much more difficult than usual and require much greater conscious effort on my part-so I knew the progress of the battle on the moon. I knew that word had indeed gotten to where it needed to be, and the invaders had eventually been repulsed. With the battle won, my attention turned to myself. I was in a forest of bamboo, and I began to explore it._

_Before long, I encountered a group of rabbits. Not lunar rabbits, of course; Earth rabbits. When I told them I was a lunar rabbit, they decided to bring me to someone. This did not surprise me. What did was hearing this person's name: Eirin. The rabbits brought me to a place they called 'Eientei', and took me to Eirin. And it was indeed Eirin Yagokoro._

_Eirin told me about Gensokyo, where I was. I communicated information about my current location to my superiors-with great effort; the difficulty in using the telepathic connection was no doubt due to my being in Gensokyo-although I left out the fact that it was Eirin who had told me. Through a relay, the Lunarian who'd been in charge of my division authorized my departure from service on the grounds that I was unable to return._

_I wouldn't have mentioned Eirin at all, but she came right out and told me to. She had multiple breakthroughs she wanted to communicate to the Lunarian people, and thanks to my presence, she was able to do so despite being in Gensokyo. And she has me continue to do so whenever she makes a new breakthrough._

_I became Eirin's student in the art of medicine. I recognize that I will never be close to her level of genius, but I can learn how to do the job, and I have. I have graduated, as it were, from being her student to being her assistant._

_We did have a scare at one point. I was informed via the telepathic connection that a party was coming to Earth to return me to the moon. I was never informed as to why, and I decided that I did not want to leave. Eirin took means to prevent the lunar party from reaching Earth, only to have it rather forcibly pointed out by various residents of Gensokyo that Gensokyo was already separate from Earth. I was rather thoroughly beaten myself, despite my best efforts, as were Eirin and Princess Kaguya. But, fortunately, there were no hard feelings._

_As a result of that incident, Eientei's existence, previously known only by a few outside of the forest, became common knowledge. We started up a medical clinic, and have provided necessary care for many._

_Current events are… disturbing. Kaguya believes the demon attacks are the first strike in an invasion, and I have to agree with her. Kaguya's been trying to unite Gensokyo under her to face it, but this… hasn't been going well. I can only hope that a solution presents itself in time._

* * *

"Look, Kaguya," Mokou said, "we've been enemies for a good 1,300 years. I don't care how I feel about you; that's not going to go away in a single night, no matter what I do."

"Of course not," Kaguya said. "That's why we'll still be seeing each other a lot. That 'purge' helped, I'm sure, but yes, there's a lot to work through. Even if we have resolved the key issue."

"I still haven't forgiven you for that," Mokou said. "Eventually, maybe, but not yet."

"But we've settled that issue."

"Yes," Mokou said. "It's like I said: I still can't forgive you, but since I have completed your challenge, it no longer needs to come between us. And… we'll work out the rest in time. After all, we do have as much time as we need."

"Is it going to come between us in the meantime?"

"I don't think so," Mokou said. "I don't think-"

The rabbit came into the clearing at high speed, barely avoiding colliding with Kaguya. "Oh, there you are. Mokou, Eirin says that- wait, um… you're not…"

"Later," Kaguya said. "Deliver your message."

The rabbit composed herself. "Uh, yes, ma'am!" She turned to Mokou. "Mokou, Eirin told me to deliver the message that Cirno and Rumia left a couple hours ago. She said she did as you discussed."

"Oh," Mokou said. "I thought she expected that to take longer. Right, well, thank you."

"You're welcome," the rabbit said as she took off back towards Eientei.

Mokou turned to Kaguya. "Okay, I know we're kind of in the middle of something here, but this is important."

"How so? I've heard about Cirno's bunch-I'm a fan of her friend Mystia's cooking. What are they doing that could be important?"

"If you want to know now, then you'll have to come with me. Odds are Cirno and Rumia are heading back to Misty Lake, and if they're reacting as expected, then I need to get there as quickly as I can."

* * *

"It's… barely holding together," Rumia managed to get out through the pain. "Just… a little… more."

"O-okay," Cirno said. "I'll… try. Three… Two… One… Zero. Aaaaaaahhhhh!" The pain intensified again as Cirno began to fire a continuous blast of ice. Rumia was right; she could feel it. The coil was about to break. Just a little more. "Just… a little… more. Just… a lit-ah!" Cirno and Rumia were blown apart as it happened.

The coil was broken.

* * *

Images.

Words.

Names.

…_Memories?_

Cirno tried to clear her head, but it didn't really work. She tried looking around, only to find that she couldn't see anything. Not in the way of it being pitch black, but in the way of there being nothing to see. _Doesn't even feel like I'm seeing. What's going on here? Wait, and where'd the pain go? And where's-_ "Rumia? Rumia! Are you here? Can you hear me?"

There was no reply. _Dammit, what the hell is this? What's going on he- wait, what's that?_

The object hadn't been there a moment ago; Cirno was certain of that. She walked over and examined it. _Wait, that's- that's Rumia's ribbon!_ "Rumia? Rumia! Rumia, are you-what the heck?"

The ribbon started to glow. _What the- what's going on? Is this really supposed to be Rumia's-wait, the glow's fading._ And as the glow faded, the ribbon… came apart. Then it vanished, leaving behind what looked like a small, glowing ball of light. _Wait, what? What is this?_

Cirno reached out and touched the light, and then…

* * *

Rumia couldn't see anything. Not because of darkness-she was familiar with that-but because there was nothing to see. _Wait, what's that?_

The object stood out by virtue of being the only thing in sight. Rumia went over to get a better look at it. _Wait, that's my ribbon!_ Her hand went up to her head. _Wait, no, the ribbon's still there. But then what's this one?_ She picked it up. _It looks just like mine. Wait, is it… no, it's not glowing. Not all of it, at least. Is there something in here?_

Rumia began untying the ribbon, and as she did so, the glow intensified. She untied the ribbon completely, and… _What the-?_

There was nothing within the ribbon. Nothing that was glowing. Just the glow. A glow that didn't seem to have any source.

Rumia reached out and touched the glow, and then…

Cirno had an image of… _is that supposed to be me? No, that's definitely not me. She kinda looks like me, though. Who is she? Why does she feel so… familiar? It's not just that she looks like me. There's more here than that._

More images flashed through her mind, and- _wait, that's Rumia!_ And indeed it was. She looked a bit different, but she was clearly Rumia. She was in many of the images; she and the unknown woman were fighting. _And fighting a lot, it looks like._

Voices came.

'_I oppose; that is in my nature.'_

_That's Rumia's voice!_ Cirno realized. _Sounds a bit different, but that's clearly her._

'_She is far too dangerous…'_

A different voice. _That woman, maybe?_

There was more from that voice.

'_Rumia is a youkai.'_

'…_extremely powerful…'_

'…_violent and destructive seemingly at random…'_

Next was Rumia's voice again. _'You know you can't kill me.'_

A third voice was next, one Cirno found familiar but couldn't quite place. "…_that's…sealing her away within herself?'_

The woman's voice again. _'Once the coil is complete, a new personality will arise…'_

_She placed the coil!_ Cirno realized.

Still the woman's voice. _'…it will remain intact indefinitely.'_

'_That Rumia will be an innocent, and I will not kill her.'_

More images. Another battle between the woman and Rumia, with someone else occasionally visible in the distance, watching. The woman's voice continued over the images. _'I will have to place eight different seals…anchor them to a ninth.'_

The images continued. The battle ended with the woman getting a sword through her chest. Except that there was a fairy. A fairy that looked like- _holy shit, I think _that_'s me!_

The woman did something to the fairy. Then the fairy did something to Rumia's ribbon. And there was the woman's voice again. _'Ninth Seal!'_ _What was that?_ Cirno wondered. _Did she, like, take control of the might-be-me fairy?_

Rumia attacked the woman one more time as the fairy did that… 'ninth seal' thing. All three fell to the ground. And then…

More images, but different. _Wait, are these… wait, they _are _my memories! That fairy _is _me! But who's the woman?_

More images came. More words came. And then an understanding came. _She died while controlling me-no, it wasn't me yet, was it? That fairy died along with the woman. And all that somehow changed her into me. And-_

Power. A lot of power, seemingly from nowhere. _This is what she had in that fairy! The power that made me, that's in me! But why didn't I feel it until break…ing the coil. Did she die while making it? She did, didn't she? That made things weird, didn't it? The power she connected to the coil went into me, but somehow got locked away in the process!_

Cirno wasn't really sure where all of this was coming from, or even if she had truly figured things out or if the answers had come into her head like the rest, or maybe a combination of the two. But she knew, somehow, that her conclusions were correct.

The rush of images continued, until…

* * *

_That's me,_ Rumia thought. _I look different, but that's definitely me._

Rumia's experience was similar to Cirno's. Images flashed through her head, and she heard voices. But what she saw and heard were different.

'_Opposite.'_

'_Negate.'_

An image of a building, then the building in ruins. _'Creation and destruction, opposite.'_

An image of people, followed by an image of them dead. _'Life and death, opposite.'_

Images of someone saving people's lives, then images of… herself… killing them. _'Protector and destroyer, opposite.'_

They kept coming. Then they changed. They weren't about opposites now. It was… _My life? But that can't be me. That _can't _be me! I don't even remember any of this! And who's that woman? She kind of looks a little like Cirno._

_Sealed away._

That thought wasn't Rumia's. She couldn't tell where the thought had come from, but it wasn't hers. _Wait, is it that… crazy-me's?_

More came, and along with it an understanding. That woman and… other-Rumia had been enemies. Other-Rumia was a youkai of opposition, and she and that woman were opposites. In response to other-Rumia's seemingly-unpredictable violence, she had fought other-Rumia many times over their long, long lives. Until one day, the woman didn't fight to kill other-Rumia. The woman instead placed seals on her, a coil. _Locking other-me away. And without her, a new Rumia-me-developed. But this isn't another person. This is just… remnants of her._

More came. Other-Rumia had killed the woman as the coil was being completed. _Something must have gone wrong and damaged other-me instead of just locking her away. This is what's left._ And then there was the fairy, which looked a lot like Cirno. The woman used the fairy to complete the coil, and was still within the fairy when she died. _That's why it's in Cirno! Some of the woman stayed in that fairy when she died! Killed the fairy and made a new one! But where has that part of the woman been-wait, the coil. It went screwy. The part of that woman must've gotten sealed, too!_

The rush of images continued, until…

* * *

"They're both unconscious," Wriggle said, "but they're still alive."

"Oh, man," Daiyousei said, "are they gonna be all right?"

"I told you, Dai," Mystia said. "Eirin knows what she's doing. If she thinks they can break the coil and come out all right, then they can."

"I hope you're right."

"Um, guys?" Wriggle said. "Something weird just happened."

* * *

Cirno picked herself up off the ground and looked around. _The lake. That must have all been in my head. It was real, though. I can still feel it. Okay, now where's Ru-oh, no._

Rumia was there, and she was also getting up. But she was different. She looked different. _That's the old Rumia!_

Rumia got to her feet and looked around. _The lake. That was all in my head, then. As I thought. Still real, though._

* * *

Rumia spotted Cirno, who was likewise picking herself up. Except… _What the- that's Cirno? She looks… different, shit. Closer to what that woman looked like. Shit, more of her mind must have survived than other-me's did. That's not Cirno anymore. But…_

_There isn't anywhere for Cirno to have gone. She must still be in there somewhere. She has to be._

* * *

"They're up," Wriggle said, "and they've seen each oth-shit!"

Rumia focused, and the sword wielded by other-Rumia formed in her hand. _That's part of the power that survived. Good. Hopefully enough remains for me to take her._

Cirno formed a sword of ice in her hand. _Okay, old-Rumia, how much power do you still have? I'll have to hope I kept more than she did._

* * *

"They're going to fight," Wriggle said.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, Dai," Wriggle said. "It may have something to do with the appearance changes, but I really don't know."

"Well, stop it! Get some bugs in there and knock them out!"

"I already tried," Wriggle said. "It didn't work. I don't know what's going on, but they're going to fight, and I can't st-what the hell?"

"What? What?"

"You know I've got views from insects all over the place going right now for practice purposes. Well, Kaguya and Mokou-not fighting, by the way-just flew past one. I'm taking views from other insects in the area, and… well, they're heading for Misty Lake."

* * *

"Tell me something, bitch," Rumia said. "Do you really think this is a fight you can win?" _Yes, have to show confidence._

"I'm not losing to you," Cirno replied.

"Funny, that. I seem to remember you losing a previous fight."

"You can't kill me."

"Or can I?" Rumia said. "Negation. I remember negation. So what if you're a fairy now? I'll just negate your resurrection." _Not that I even know if I can. I'm not sure how much of that ability remains._ "So bring it on."

* * *

"They've started," Wriggle said.

* * *

They'd closed to weapon range, but this wasn't just a swordfight. While their swords clashed, Cirno and Rumia used their power in the attack. Their energies swirled around them as they fought; blasts and barriers, attacks and counters.

"Okay," Wriggle said, "how the hell are they doing that?"

Daiyousei, of course, was frantic. "What? What? What is it? What's happening?"

"Their power seems to have increased substantially. Potentially on the same order as my own; I'll need to see more to be sure."

"Wait," Tewi said, "so does that mean there was power or something inside the coil?"

"Yes. This may explain the failure to knock them out; their new power may be somehow protecting them from my poisons."

"Man," Mystia said, "just what's going on here?"

* * *

Cirno rocketed backwards, unleashing a storm of energy at Rumia. Rumia went straight through it, forming an energy barrier in front of her to protect herself.

Cirno formed an illusory copy of herself. She wasn't sure how, but somehow, she knew she could to it. And indeed she could. She and the illusion split up and came at Rumia from different directions.

Rumia blocked herself from sight. She knew she could, somehow. She wasn't really sure how it worked, but she was doing it.

Cirno, as well as her illusory duplicate, came to a halt. She looked around frantically. _Where'd she go? Where is she? Where-_

Rumia revealed her location when she attacked. Not knowing which Cirno was real, she fired at both of them.

Cirno barely managed to dodge in time, and let loose a barrage of ice as she once again closed in. Rumia met Cirno's charge head-on, but at the last second, she dropped to the ground and slid under Cirno, firing a blast that blew the fairy into the air.

* * *

"Yes," Wriggle said, "I think they are about at my level. Both of them; they're evenly matched."

"Damn it," Daiyousei said, "what the hell is wrong with them? Why are they fighting?"

"Where are Kaguya and Mokou?" Tewi asked.

"About halfway there."

"And Cirno and Rumia are still going at it." Daiyousei sighed. "Damn it, how long is this going to last for?"

* * *

Cirno fired a blast at Rumia. Rumia formed a barrier against it, only to see it pass through both the barrier and she herself harmlessly. _An illu-shit!_ Cirno had used the illusory blast as a distraction, forming huge numbers of ice projectiles around Rumia. Rumia extended her barrier to form a protective sphere around herself. Cirno sent the projectiles at Rumia while simultaneously firing a continuous and not at all illusory blast.

Rumia struggled to maintain the barrier. _Damn it! Cirno, we promised we'd stay together! Come on, Cirno! You have to be in there somewhere! You have to-ugh!_ The barrier wavered briefly, but Rumia forced it back together. _Damn, I can't hold this much longer. I… I have to… do something. I can't give up. You're in there somewhere, Cirno. I know you're in there somewhere. I…_

_I'll get you back, Cirno. I won't let her win!_ Rumia dropped her barrier, and at the same time, she fired an extremely strong blast into the ground behind her at an angle, propelling herself rocketing through Cirno's blast and directly into the fairy. She took hold of Cirno and piledrove the fairy into the ground.

* * *

"It's over," Wriggle said. "Cirno's down. Rumia won."

"Um, but that's the better outcome, right?" Tewi said. "Cirno's a fairy. She can't truly die."

Wriggle said nothing. She hadn't shared the brief pre-battle conversation with the others. They didn't know about the 'negation' ability Rumia claimed to possess. They didn't know. Only Wriggle knew, and she watched through her insects, unable to affect the events she was seeing.

* * *

Cirno struggled to pick herself up, but failed. _I'm sorry,_ she thought as Rumia stood over her, holding her blade to Cirno's throat. _I tried, Rumia. I was here for you. I tried to get you back, but… I'm sorry, Rumia._

"Sorry, bitch," Rumia said, "but you lose."

"Fine," Cirno said. "Just… do it, then."

"Oh? And why would I do that?"

"Huh?"

"Have you not realized it yet? Huh. And here I thought it would be obvious. Well, whatever. I'm not going to kill you, bitch, but I can do a lot to hurt you. And I will, unless you give her back."

"What?"

"Don't play dumb. Or maybe you don't really remember. Well, that body belongs to someone else. It belongs to my friend, and we made a promise that I intend to keep. So _give her back_!"

"Wha- tha- y- Rumia?"

_Wait._ "Is… Cirno?"

"Rumia?"

Rumia unformed her sword and fell to her knees. "Cirno, are you all right?"

"Is that… really… you…, Rumia?"

"Yes. I'm still here, Cirno."

"I… I thought you were… I thought the old you had…"

_Wait, is she saying that-_ "Cirno, that was you the whole time?"

"Wait… you… are you… were… was…," Cirno managed to take a sitting position. "Rumia, was that… you… all along?"

"Oh, god. And I was ready to- Cirno, I- I- I- I- I- I- I-"

"Thought the… same thing… I did. It's… okay, Rumia. I'll… forgive you."

"Me, too," Rumia said, and the pair embraced.

* * *

"Well, then," Wriggle said. "I think those two have, um, settled their differences."

"Okay, hold on," Dai said. "What the heck happened, anyways?"

"More than could be seen or heard, I think." Wriggle said. "It looks like each of them thought the other was actually someone else, likely because of whatever all happened when they broke the coil. I'd guess something went on inside their heads, but we'll have to ask them about it."

"What about Kaguya?" Tewi asked.

"Still following Mokou, who's still heading towards the lake."

"I'm going," Dai said.

Tewi leapt to her feet. "Me, too."

"We'll all go," Wriggle said. She opened the door and stepped outside. Insects suddenly began landing on her, those that did not fly crawling up her legs.

"Okay," Mystia said, "um, Wriggle? What are you doing?"

"I told you," Wriggle said, "they are to serve as my attendants. They can hardly do so if they do not remain with me. Now come on, let's go."

* * *

Kaguya and Mokou peered out from behind the brush to see Cirno and Rumia lying on the ground next to each other. And…

"Um, Mokou?" Kaguya said at a whisper. "Is it my imagination, or does it look like they just… um…"

"It's not just you," Mokou whispered back. "I think they did. But… well, there are signs of combat here. I think they had a fight first."

"Well, they say the best part is making up afterwards. I'd like to see for myself, though."

"Yeah, not ready for that yet. Let's just worry about them right now."

"Fine. So what're we looking at here, anyways? Some sort of sealed-evil-in-a-can? A superpowered evil side? Was this an I-know-you're-in-there-somewhere fight?"

"Um, I have no idea what you just said."

"Oh. Yeah, of course. Um, I-"

"Later," Mokou said. "You stay here; I'm going to go talk to them."

* * *

Cirno and Rumia got to their feet as someone approached. "Who are you?" Cirno asked. Rumia, on the other hand, recognized her. "Hey, you're that lady who told me my name!"

"Ah," the woman said, "so you remember that. I am Fujiwara no Mokou."

"You're here for a reason," Rumia said. "This isn't a coincidence, is it?"

"That's correct. I'm here because I know what's been happening to the two of you. I was hoping to be watching when you two broke the coil, but that, unfortunately, didn't happen."

"Why would that be important?"

"Because there was a range of possible outcomes," Mokou explained. "Have you both figured out that you used to be different people?"

"Yeah," Cirno said. "Why, did you know us back then?"

"Not Rumia, no, but I was friends with her opponent, Nolana. Rumia, what memories do you have of your past?"

"You mean from before the coil?" Mokou nodded. "Nothing definite, but… well, it's hard to figure out specifics, but I think I was… violent. But at the same time, I think I remember instances of saving people, helping people."

"That's accurate. You were, to my understanding, a youkai of opposition. You acted as the opposite of whoever you happened to meet. If you met a violent person, you were peaceful. If you met a peaceful person, you were violent."

"Opposition? That's… kinda odd-sounding."

"What about me?" Cirno asked.

"Your situation is… different."

"Yeah, I already got that much. Who was that woman?"

"Her name was Nolana. She was Rumia's opponent. The two of them were precisely evenly matched, and any battle between them would always end in a draw. Until I became part of the equation. I couldn't help in battle-their level of power was extremely far above even mine-but I was able to do something else. Nolana had me hold together the seals she used to form the coil while she fought Rumia and placed them. But for the final one, the ninth, she had to get close enough to touch Rumia, and she could not."

"That's when other-me gave her a sword through the chest, isn't it?" Rumia said.

"Yes, although that didn't kill her. Nolana did… well, something. It looked like she took control of a fairy, but I don't know how that's possible. But she used the fairy to get close and place the last seal. Rumia took Nolana out at the last minute, just as the coil was formed."

"Which really messed things up," Rumia said. "Other-me's mind and power were damaged as the coil formed around them, and some of Nolana's mind and power got trapped within the fairy. Oh, and the fairy essentially died, becoming a different fairy entirely."

"Yeah," Cirno said. "Me."

"I've been keeping something of an eye on the two of you," Mokou said. "I'm the one who drove off that first demon that attacked you, Cirno. And when the second demon attacked and Rumia was suddenly in pain, I was able to figure out what was happening. I didn't know what would happen when the coil broke, but I found it most likely that the remnants of Nolana's and the old Rumia's minds were not significant enough for personality retention and thus your current selves would remain dominant. And it would seem that I was correct. As for what you'll gain from their power, well, I'm not as certain there, but my best guess is that you can expect a significant strengthening of your existing abilities. I don't think you'll get the same powers they had, even at a lower level, although you may be able to do certain specific things."

"Like illusions," Cirno said. "Or Rumia's disappearing trick."

"Ah, so you've already had that happen. Well, aside from things like that, I'd assume you're simply at a much higher level of power than you were before breaking the coil, although I'm not sure how much higher, or even if that'll be the actual effect."

"Um, question," Rumia said. "Why didn't you tell us any of this?"

"Would you have believed me? And if you had, would you have been willing to break the coil?"

"Um… well, certainly more reluctant."

"I wanted it broken as soon as possible, so that I could more easily be present when it was-in case things went differently than I expected, I wanted to be there to do everything I could to… contain the situation. So I let you go to Eirin."

"You didn't want us to know what it was," Rumia realized, "just that it was there. You wanted us wondering what was within the coil so that we'd have an encouragement to break it."

Mokou nodded. "Right. Although I wasn't able to be here when you broke the coil anyways, so, well, I guess it's just a good thing my expectations were correct-although I wasn't expecting the physical change in you, Cirno. Rumia's doesn't surprise me-she looks like she did before the coil was placed-but I wasn't expecting yours. I guess unsealing Nolana's power within you altered your appearance such that it's closer to what she looked like."

"Whatever," Cirno said. "Thanks for the info. Um, our friends will probably be here soon. Is there anything else you have to say?"

"Um... no. I'll leave, then. If you have any questions, come find me, and I'll do my best to answer them. And if you can't find me, tell Eirin you're looking for me; she'll make sure I'm told."

"Got it," Rumia said. "Thanks."

* * *

Kaguya, of course, had heard everything. "You wanted Nolana's mind to have survived, didn't you?" she asked as the two of them headed back to the forest.

"I… well, yes. I didn't think it would happen, but… well, Nolana was a friend, and I haven't had many of those."

"And you saw a chance that she'd survived."

"Yes," Mokou said. "Intellectually, I think I knew it wasn't true, but… well, I wanted to be wrong."

"But you weren't."

"I wasn't," Mokou said. "It's as I expected. Fragments of Nolana's mind remain, it seems, but she's still Cirno. I explained things to her and Rumia, but she's not my friend."

"She didn't seem too grateful, either."

"Those two just went through a lot. I'll cut them some slack."

"Good point." A pause. "Um, I'm heading back home. Um, what are you going to do?"

"Eh, might as well go with you. I need to talk to Eirin, anyways."

* * *

There was commotion in the village square.

As Keine drew closer to the square, she was able to make out the tengu 'reporter' Aya. _Oh, that's just great. What's she going on about this time?_

"What are you doing here?" Keine asked as she approached Aya.

"Keine! What did the oni do?"

"Um… excuse me?"

"The oni! What did they do?"

"Okay," Keine said, "I have no idea what you're talking about. The only oni I've seen recently is Yuugi, who was here yester-"

"Yuugi? She's the one who did it? Did she have her with her? Had she hurt her?"

"Um… what?"

"Did she do anything to her?"

"Okay," Keine said, "I think you're asking if Yuugi had someone with her, and the answer is yes."

"She does have Orphan! Not good!"

"Hold on" Keine said, "how do you know about Orphan?"

"Nol at the Hakurei Shrine told me. Clever job by the oni, I have to say. I don't know what's happened to Reimu, but they're using her as a distraction. They even had me tricked into thinking the Reimu thing was the real story. They underestimated me, though. They didn't think I'd figure out their trick."

"Right," Keine said. "And you think the oni are up to something because…?"

"So glad you asked!" Aya reached into her bag and pulled out…

_What the-? How did she fit a chalkboard in th- okay, dumb question in Gensokyo. There're about a million different ways that could be done. But..._ "Um, you keep a chalkboard in your bag?"

"Two," Aya said as she set the first one down and pulled out another, which she set down beside the first one.

"And you do this… why?"

"The truth must be revealed to all!"

_Okay, that doesn't answer the question at all. Moving on._ "And that truth is?"

"That the oni are going to attack."

_Oooooo-kay._ "And you've determined this… how?"

"Geez, you're gullible. You people really need to look harder, to ask more questions, to _think_."

"Yeah, there's really nobody who can, um, emulate your thought process."

"I'll spell it out for you, then."

Aya was a flurry of motion, drawing and writing things on the boards, as well placing pictures taken from her bag. When she was done, the boards were a nigh-indecipherable mess of words, drawings, and pictures. At the center of the first board was… _That kind of looks like Orphan,_ Keine thought. "Aya, is that supposed to be Orphan?"

"Yes. That picture was taken the day she vanished. But where is she?"

"Eientei was her destination after leaving here," Keine said.

"A trick from the oni."

"Actually, Yuugi dropped Orphan off with me and left."

"Oh? Where'd she go?"

"Eientei, actually. She had a delivery to make."

"And you think it's just a coincidence that they went to the same place?"

"Um, yes."

"Well, you'd be wrong. If Orphan went there on her own, then she was tricked. Eientei's behind it. Think about it, Keine; what's Eientei been doing ever since people learned the place was there?"

"Treating the sick and injured? I really have no idea what you're getting at."

"Close, but you forgot a part of it."

"Um…"

"They're treating the sick and the injured _for free_."

"Right," Keine said.

"Well, think about it. How do they do that? They can't just be working for nothing. So where's the money coming from? Who's financing them?"

"Actually, I'm pretty sure they make a lot of what they need themselves."

"So? Maybe they don't have to buy much, but they have to pay the workers."

"You don't get how they run that place, do you? They don't do it like a business. The only thing they use money for is when they do need to get things from elsewhere."

"Wait, they don't use money? They don't pay for things like healthcare and food? It's just… provided? Damn, it's worse than I thought. They're going to turn Gensokyo socialist!"

"Um… what?"

"They're going to take over and take away choice! They'll make you get their healthcare, their food, their stuff. They'll take away the right to have spellcards. They'll-"

"What the hell are you going on about?"

Aya turned back to the chalkboards. "Look, look. See, Eientei's run by this woman, Kaguya. And what's she?" She drew an arrow from Kaguya to Eientei, and one to a drawing of the moon. "She's royalty. A princess from the moon. A princess who was exiled."

"She was forgiven for her crime and given a chance to return to the moon," Keine said. "She declined."

"A ruse, so that nobody would suspect her true purpose, suspect that she's still on their side. The entire exile is nothing but a ruse masking her true intent: the takeover of Gensokyo."

"What."

"You really think the Lunarians are satisfied with the moon? I've seen pictures." She pointed to an image of the lunar surface. "I know what that place looks like. Do you really think they'll just stay on the moon when there's a place like Gensokyo?"

_What the hell is wrong with this woman?_ "Yes, Aya. Yes, I do."

"Because that's what they want you to think. They don't want anybody suspecting anything until they're ready to strike. Why do you think they were doing a military build-up? They just didn't think Earth would misinterpret their intent and attack. So without their built-up forces, they had to go to a back-up plan.

"Kaguya's original role was to provide intel on Gensokyo, but without their army, the Lunarians need her to build one up and strike from within."

This was making Keine's head hurt. "And this army is the oni?"

"Of course!" Aya drew an arrow between Kaguya and a picture of an oni. "They're stuck living in hell!" An arrow from the oni to a picture of the former hell. "They'll do anything to move back to the surface!" An arrow from the oni to a picture of the surface; specifically, the Youkai Mountain. "All Kaguya has to do is promise them a place to live up here. She probably plans to just let them go back to the mountain."

"And she somehow planned this with the oni while the underground was sealed."

"Of course not! That's why the attack hasn't happened yet! Kaguya couldn't build up the force she needs until access to the underground was reopened and the oni became available. Since then, the oni have been training an army in secret, and when they're ready, they'll attack! And now they have Orphan as a hostage!" An arrow from Kaguya to Orphan, and one from the oni to Orphan. "They can use her to force cooperation!"

_There is so much wrong with that._ "Aya, I don't think Kaguya's shown signs of plotting anything. She doesn't intend any harm."

"Yeah, well, the Nazis came into power because people thought the same thing about them."

"Wha-hu-what?" Keine knew about the Nazis thanks to outside-world history texts that had fallen through the border, but how did Aya- _No, wait, the Moriya shrine came from the outside world just a few years ago. Either they had something about the Nazis or Aya learned it directly or indirectly from one of them. That must be it._ "Um, I really don't think it's likely that Kaguya is Hitler."

"Of course she's not Hitler! She's just fooling people in the same way!"

"Right," Keine said. "You just go write your story, then. I'm going to go do something that doesn't make my head hurt."

* * *

Wriggle and the others landed in front of Rumia and Cirno. "There you are," Cirno said. "I thought you'd be here sooner. Or did you find a way to keep Dai from running off after us?"

"She tried," Wriggle said. "She didn't get very far. I kind of, well, anticipated her attempt."

"Right," Rumia said. "Wriggle, I assume you were watching. How much did you see? Do you have any questions?"

Wriggle shook her head. "No. Mokou answered all the questions I had. And I've filled the others in."

"Hold on," Cirno said, "you were watching? Um-"

"I didn't look during that part. I kept watch nearby, but I didn't look at you two until that was finished. I'm not a pervert."

"Hold on," Tewi said, "are you telling me they had-" She was cut-off mid-sentence as Cirno froze her, shattering the ice a couple seconds later. "Shutting up."

"Okay," Mystia said, "now what?"

"Let's head to Cirno's place," Dai said. "It's close."

"Well, okay," Cirno said, "but, um Wriggle?" She looked over all the insects still crawling all over Wriggle. "I don't really want so many bugs to come in."

"I can guarantee that they will not bother you," Wriggle said.

"Yeah, but, well..."

"Very well. I shall ensure that they remain outside."

"Thanks," Cirno said. "Okay, let's go."

* * *

"Ah, there you are," Eirin said as I entered her office. "Take a seat."

"I assume you have the results," I said as I sat down.

"That's correct. Unfortunately, I don't think there's much I can do for you. I'm certain that something of your memories remains, but the examination failed to produce any meaningful stimulus. This is not the first time I've seen that result, but it is quite unusual. I do, though, know what will likely stimulate what remains."

"And that is?"

"The same thing that's been stimulating them so far. Familiarity. The more familiar people, places, and situations you encounter, the more you will remember. I would recommend, then, that you continue searching for someone who knows who you are."

_Disappointing, but not really unexpected._ "Well, thank you for the effort."

"There is one more thing," Eirin said. "A clue not as to who you are, but as to what happened to you."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Traces," Eirin said, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "Traces of… well, okay, what I found indicates something that shouldn't be possible-although I suppose I saw some impossibilities yesterday, too. Anyways, you are, of course, familiar with Gensokyo's barrier. I can say for certain now that whatever happened involved the barrier, and not just in the sense of you passing through it, because… well…

"Orphan, there are traces of the barrier within your mind."

* * *

**Yes, I did just turn Aya into Glenn Beck. It sort of... came out that way when I was writing her scene with Keine, so I decided to take it and run with it. And I'm quite please with the result; that scene was a lot of fun. Also, if I don't see Aya start making Nazi comparisons in other stories, I will be very dissapointed.**

**As for the main focus of the chapter, the Cirno/Rumia thing, well, I always feel like my combat scenes are... bland. I put extra effort into this one, though, and I hope it came out all right.**

**And yes, Kaguya is now officially a troper.**

**And as always, reviews are appreciated.**


	11. Chapter 11: Loyalties

**Chapter 11  
**_Loyalties_

"Right," I said. "Um, could you please explain what that means?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Eirin said. "There are traces of the border within your mind. They're extremely minor, and doubtless are not the cause of your memory loss. That, presumably, is whatever left them there. But… I have no idea what could have done that. This isn't possible."

"You saw some 'impossibilities' yesterday, right?"

"There are two types of impossibility," Eirin said. "What I saw yesterday was impossible in the sense that nobody could do it-and it turns out that the person who did has been dead for some time. It was theoretically possible; it was simply a matter of nobody having the capability. What I saw in you I thought to be impossible in the sense that it was literally not possible, not even theoretically. But apparently it is possible. It… Orphan, it looks very much like somebody used the border to attack you."

"And that's possible?"

"No. Or, well, it's not supposed to be. Even Yukari-a youkai with control over barriers and boundaries-can't do it. And no, it's not a matter of her not having the capability. This shouldn't even be theoretically possible. But it looks like that's wrong."

"And you don't have any clue who could have done this?"

"No," Eirin said. "No, I don't."

* * *

Cirno and Rumia were sitting on the shore of the lake near Cirno's house-a position Cirno had vague memories of Nolana taking with Mokou.

"Cirno," Rumia said, "I have to tell you something."

"Yeah?"

"I lied to you earlier."

"You… lied? When?"

"When I told you that the coil hurt even when you weren't doing anything," Rumia said. "I could tell it would get that way eventually, but it hadn't yet done so."

"Oh. Is that all? You had me worried for a second, there."

"I'm sorry, Cirno," Rumia said. "I couldn't think of any other way to convince you to agree to breaking it."

"Eh, no biggie. Things worked out, right?"

"That's… a more mature perspective than I'm used to seeing from you."

"Is it? Huh. Maybe those pieces of Nolana rubbed off on me."

"Just as long as they didn't change you too much. I like you just fine the way you are."

* * *

There didn't seem to be anything more that Eirin could do for me, so it was time for me to depart for my next destination, the underground. As I exited the mansion, though, I saw someone land in front of it.

I'd seen enough unusual hair colors that I didn't think one could surprise me any longer, but this woman's did. Her hair was quite long (which seemed to be fairly common in Gensokyo), and was initially a purple color. However, the purple coloring faded to a light brown as one looked further down.

The woman was staring at me. _Does she recognize me?_ I walked over to her. "Hello."

The woman shook her head. "Ah, sorry about that. You just… well, I can't place it, but you look familiar. You remind me of someone; I just can't place who it is."

_Unfortunate._ "Whoever it is, it's likely that I actually am her. You see, I have lost my memory."

"Oh?"

"Yes," I said. "The earliest thing I can remember is waking up in a forest five years ago. I've been trying to find out who I am ever since."

"Five years ago? And you haven't had any luck yet? Hmm… you're probably not from Gensokyo, then, if you haven't learned anything in five years. It's not exactly an enormous place."

"I only arrived here three days ago," I said. "That forest I woke up in is in the outside world."

"Oh."

"I am certain that I am, in fact, from Gensokyo. I'm going from place to place, hoping to find someone who can tell me who I am. It sounds like I came close with you, but…"

"I apologize."

"Don't worry about it," I said. "Anyways, my next destination is the underground. If I don't learn anything there, I plan to head to the Youkai Mountain, then to Heaven above it."

"I see. Um, I just realized that we haven't introduced ourselves. I am Byakuren."

"A pleasure to meet you," I said. "I do not remember my name, so I have taken the name 'Orphan'."

"Orphan. Good to meet you. So, no luck here, then?"

"I didn't think anyone here would recognize me," I said. "Akyu thought Eirin might be able to help me remember, though. Unfortunately, it seems there's nothing Eirin can do to help."

"I see. That's unfortunate."

"Agreed. What is your business here?"

"Complicated," Byakuren said. "I would rather not get into it, so I'll just say that I need to meet with Kaguya."

"You may have to wait a bit," I said. "I don't think she's back ye-" I was interrupted by Kaguya and Mokou landing nearby. "Never mind. There she is."

"And with Mokou, too. Did something change between them?"

I nodded. "I helped Mokou find a way to end the conflict."

"Oh? Impressive, and quite a noble act."

"I can't claim noble motives," I said. "I was hoping that helping her might trigger memories, but it failed. All I have is the sense that I did such things in the past."

"Then you may still be one to admire."

"Possibly," I said. "Hopefully I'll find out soon."

"Yes. I'm sorry I couldn't help."

"It's not an issue," I said. "It's been a minimum of five years since you last saw me, and in addition, I understand that appearance changes can happen upon crossing the border. And I also understand that my hat is not nearly as distinctive here as it was in the outside world."

Byakuren chuckled. "That's true. Compared to some of the hats I've seen, yours is positively mundane. Still, it's part of what I find familiar about you."

"I see. Well, if it helps, I'm pretty sure I received it as a gift. I don't know when, though; it could have been the day I lost my memory, for all I know."

"I see. Well, if I can recall who you remind me of, I'll try and find a way to let you know."

"Thank you," I said.

* * *

I am Byakuren Hijiri.

_I could talk about my early life, about the time before my brother's death, but that time is his story. I was really just following him. My story doesn't begin until his death._

_When my brother died, I was terrified. Not of having to live without him, but of my own death. Of the fact that what happened to him could happen to me at any time. So I began searching for a way to prevent my death. After all, fairies are immortal; immortality is clearly possible. The question was how to obtain it._

_I had to look deep into forgotten arts for my solution. It turned out that I was able to find no method within Gensokyo-although recently, I found out about Eirin Yagokoro, who had created an elixir of immortality. I, however, had no such luck. Not even a god could help me. So I turned to something else._

_I performed the ritual in secret, late at night. It was a long-forgotten ritual that held little power of its own. It was a ritual that had been considered 'dark', and any who attempted it, who even expressed the thought of attempting it, were condemned by the people. It was a calling ritual, and the one it called was Shinki, creator and ruler of the demon realm of Makai._

_Shinki was not a god; even I don't really know what she was. But she was capable of granting me immortality. I expected some terrible price for this, but, well, Shinki came across as being a lot less 'evil' than most would probably expect. "There is a price," she told me, "but it's something inherent to what I will do. Please wait patiently; I will return shortly." Then she vanished._

_When Shinki returned a few minutes later, she was holding a glowing black-and-purple orb. "Smash this against yourself," she said as she handed it to me. "That is the trigger."_

"_And what will it trigger?" I asked._

"_Magics that will bind the energies within to your essence. And it is there that the price lies, for these magics were derived from the divine."_

"_The divine. Faith. So that's your price? Immortality in exchange for becoming your priestess?"_

_Shinki actually laughed. "Oh, no, not at all. I am not a god; I have no need of faith. And the magics in question are not divine; they are simply derived from the divine. Faith, belief, that is required to sustain them, but it is not linked to any individual, god or otherwise. No, what these magics require is belief in the essence of magic itself. If beings born of magic were to fade from the world, so would these magics."_

"_You're talking about youkai."_

"_Correct. That is the price; if you wish to continue living, you must ensure that youkai continue to exist. Also, it is worth mentioning that this will change you; you will be youkai, not human."_

_It sounded like a believable price, but I was still suspicious. "And how does this benefit you?"_

"_Demons are youkai, too," she said. "I assume that you will remain here in Gensokyo, but demons do find themselves here sometimes. If you are protecting youkai, that covers my people as well."_

_It made sense. "Very well, then," I said. "I accept." I smashed the orb against my chest._

_I don't know how to explain what happened next, but when it was over, I could tell that I had changed. Not in form; as Shinki had said, the energies within the orb had become bound to my essence, had become a part of me. "It is done," Shinki said. "Farewell." And then she was gone._

_I performed some basic tests, and it seemed that I was indeed immortal. But I had to wonder what that energy could have possibly been that would allow it to make me immortal. The answer was… unpleasant._

_As I began my return to the village, I soon came upon a fairy lying on the ground. Two things about this fairy struck me immediately. First was the basic form and color of the wings, which was different from that of Gensokyo fairies and, as I had learned during my research on Makai, identified the fairy as a Makai fairy. And second was that the fairy appeared lifeless._

_I ran over to the fairy and examined it more closely. It didn't respond very much to stimulus, but there were minor responses. The fairy was still alive, just… weakened. As though the life had somehow been partially drained from it. Then it hit me._

_The fairy was from Makai, Shinki's realm. It was weakened, as though it had lost a portion of its essence. And Shinki had presented me with energy that made me immortal by becoming part of my essence. The conclusion wasn't difficult to reach: the life had been drained from this fairy in order to be given to me._

_The fairy hadn't been completely drained; it was still alive, and would likely recover with time. But I wondered if a portion of a fairy's essence would be enough to make me immortal. And I realized that of course it wasn't; Shinki had doubtless drained multiple fairies in this manner. And just as soon as I wondered why one of them was in Gensokyo, I realized that Shinki had put it there deliberately. She had wanted me to know where my immortality had come from._

_You may think I hated Shinki for what she'd done, but I did not. I was… unfond of it, but, well, it was not my fault. I hadn't known what she was going to do. In addition, she used Makai fairies, her subjects; she may have even asked for volunteers-which, during my future assotiation with her, I would learn was indeed the case. And, yes, there was also the fact that she didn't drain enough to kill any of them. I did not approve of her actions, but… well, it wasn't my place to tell her what to do._

_In order to remain alive, I needed to ensure that youkai continued to exist. Such a thing may sound like an easy task; in Gensokyo, I doubt they will ever cease to be. Humans, however, generally feared youkai, and the existence of individual youkai was frequently in danger because of this. Going by the literal meaning of Shinki's words, I wouldn't have needed to do anything, but her intent was clear: in exchange for immortality, I was to assist youkai in danger. And I did not want to break my side of the bargain. Even if she couldn't kill me-which I expect she could have, as she was the one who had fused the fairies' essence with mine; if anyone could undo it, she would be the one-she could do just about anything else, and I did not want to provoke her._

_I became a 'youkai exterminator', one who hunts youkai that are causing problems. Or even that aren't; fear can make people see threats where there are none. It was generally assumed-although it's different now-that youkai exterminators killed youkai, but I did not. I would instead relocate them, distance them from the people who wanted them killed. I didn't come right out and say that I did this, of course, but neither did I pretend that I killed them, although people assumed that I did anyways._

_As time went on, what I was doing ceased being simply to fulfill my end of the deal. There were some youkai that truly had earned the animosity of the humans who wanted them dead, but most were innocent, and I found that I could not simply stand by when they were in danger. I tried not to take jobs involving youkai that truly were guilty-it was generally fairly easy to tell which ones those were-focusing instead on ones that had not earned the animosity humans felt towards them._

_Eventually, of course, I was found out. By that time, I was no longer working 'freelance'. I had taken up a position in a Buddhist temple, accompanied by a few of the youkai I'd assisted over the years-my disciples, essentially. That is where I was when the humans came for me._

_My disciples were ready to fight-the ones that were present, at least; Shou was not present when it happened-but I instructed them to stand down and faced the humans myself. Two of them stepped forward from the group. The man was just another villager-presumably the one who'd organized this-but the other was a woman I was able to identify on sight, even though we had never before met. Her clothing made her identity obvious-this was the current maiden of the Hakurei Shrine, Mira Hakurei._

"_I imagine you know why we're here," the man said._

"_Do you?"_

"_Let me guess: you're looking to launch into some speech about how we're doing this for all the wrong reasons. But we're not. You have been protecting the youkai you claimed to kill."_

"_Allow me to ask you something, then," I said. "When have I ever claimed that I kill youkai?"_

_"What the hell is that supposed to mean? You're a youkai hunter; of course you kill-"_

_The man's sudden stop, of course, was because he was realizing that I never actually made that claim. "That's right," I said. "I have never once claimed to be a youkai killer." I addressed the group as a whole. "I have taken jobs from many of you. Can anyone provide one example of me saying I would kill a youkai?" I paused. "No. In fact, am I not quick to decry requests to kill? Have I not corrected every use of the word? 'I remove youkai; I do not kill them.' How many of you have heard me say that?"_

"_And what the hell were we supposed to think?" the man said. "You show up and act like a youkai hunter, and now you're trying to tell us you never hid your true intentions?"_

"_She never lied," Mira said. "You all simply drew your own conclusions. That's not her fault."_

"_Like hell it's not! She knew we'd assume 'remove' was a euphemism! She knew what we'd think! She's been tricking us this whole time!"_

"_And why," I asked, "would I want to do that?"_

"_To get us to trust you. We know you're one of them. We know you're a youkai."_

_I knew it was inevitable that this would be discovered one day; no doubt it was my unchanging physical condition that tipped people off. So I did not deny it. "And what, precisely, does that have to do with this? Explain your reasoning, please."_

"_Oh, shut up. You're a youkai. That's all that needs to be said. Or are you going to try and tell us that youkai aren't enemies of humans?"_

"_I'm not going to try to tell you that. I'm going to tell you that. Youkai are not the enemies of humans."_

"_Yeah, real convincing. The whole attacking-people thing kind of ruins that argument."_

"_There are humans who kill youkai," I said. "You even thought me to be one of them. But youkai do not believe that all humans want to kill them."_

"_Of course not. They know it's self-defense."_

"_Well, then, what about the humans who kill other humans? Humans are not murderers; certain individual humans are. You do not assume everyone is a murderer just because someone is, do you?"_

"_Of course not."_

"_Then why do you make that assumption of youkai?"_

"_We're not making assumptions. I, for one, have never seen a youkai unless it's attacking someone."_

"_You've seen me."_

"_You're trying a strategy. You're trying to make us feel safe around you, make us think you're on our side. But you're not fooling us any longer."_

"_If that were true, I'd have struck long before now. But I have no desire or intent to do so."_

"_You cannot be trusted. We know that, and you can't fool us any longer."_

_As I expected, this man would not be talked down. "So you're here to… 'deal with me'?"_

"_Yeah, no shit."_

"_Then do it," I said. "Kill me."_

"_Don't think we're here unprepared," the man said. "We know your secret. We know you took power from Makai. We know you can't be killed."_

_They were wrong about that, but right that Makai was involved. I had not expected the Makai part to be discovered, and as I thought about it, I realized that it hadn't been. Whatever information and/or line of reasoning had led them to that conclusion was wrong. But this did not really matter; what mattered was that they knew I couldn't die. "And yet you're here."_

"_We are," the man said. "We can't kill you, but we can ensure you do no harm. Your minions will be killed, of course, but you we will simply seal away."_

_With the aid of my disciples, I could have fought them off, but I did not want to. I did not want to kill, I did not want my disciples to kill, and I did not want them to be killed. "I cannot accept their deaths; they haven't even done what I have that you claim is lying. And I do not want anyone here to come to any harm. So I say this: if you promise to do nothing beyond sealing me, I will not resist."_

_The man was silent for a moment. "Very well," he said, and there was a general murmur of agreement. "We will not-"_

_I did not expect what happened at that moment: Mira Hakurei punched the man in the face. "You shut the fuck up, Rio." She spun to face the group Rio led. "All of you just _shut the fuck up_!"_

_The mob was silent, as were all of us from the temple. I had known that Mira didn't want to be here; that much had been clear on her face from the moment the group arrived. But I hadn't realized just how against this she was until then._

"_I have _had _it with this!" Mira exclaimed to the crowd. "You know damn well you intend to kill every youkai here! And you have the nerve to call her a liar! You're just a bunch of fucking hypocrites!"_

"_Damn it, woman," Rio said, "you know we're right. You're a youkai exterminator yourself. You know they're evil."_

_Mira spun to face Rio. "You're correct; I am a youkai exterminator. And because I am, I know very well that it's Byakuren who's right."_

"_What the hell are you talking about? You know she's full of shit!"_

"_Oh, fuck you. Do you know just how many innocent youkai I've hunted? How many innocent youkai I've killed? Too many. Far too many. I couldn't keep doing it. That, Rio, is why _I _no longer claim to kill youkai. I will kill the ones that truly are guilty, but for the ones that aren't, I do the same thing as Byakuren. I relocate them. Like her, I have constantly decried jobs telling me to kill youkai. I have made no secret of the fact that most of the time I simply remove them. In fact, I have frequently said the exact same thing as Byakuren: 'I do not kill youkai; I remove them'. But you're not taking up arms against me. And do you know why you aren't?" She faced the mob again. "Do any of you know?"_

_There was no response. "Of course you know," Mira said. "You just don't want to say it. So I'll say it for you: the reason you're attacking Byakuren but not me is because I am a human, whereas she is a youkai."_

"_Well, obviously," Rio said. "You say that like it doesn't mean anything."_

_Mira punched him in the gut and shoved him to the ground. "Because it fucking doesn't!" She faced the mob again. "What the fuck is wrong with you people? Do you really think that she's evil just because she's not human? Just because she's a youkai?" Silence. "Well, what about the fact that she used to be human? Are you saying that becoming a youkai made her evil?"_

"_Of course not," Rio said as he began to pick himself up. "Only an evil human would want to be a youkai in the first-"_

_Mira kicked him back down. "Shut the fuck up before I rip out your fucking tongue!" She faced the group again. "You are attempting to imprison an innocent woman and kill other innocent women. That is something I cannot condone. The only evil here is that perpetrated by you. And yet…"_

_Mira indicated me. "Byakuren has consented to the sealing," she said, "so I will perform it. But if any of you take any action-any action, even the most insignificant-against any other youkai here, then I'll be introducing you to a youkai who does deserve your hatred, and I will do absolutely nothing but watch as it fucking eats you alive! Any questions?" Silence. "Good." She pointed at a few people. "You, you, you, and you, you're the most magically skilled of the group. You four stay here. Everyone else will leave now." She picked Rio off the ground and shoved him at the mob. "That means you, too, Rio. All of you will leave, and you will not come back." A pause. "That means _right fucking now_!"_

_That was enough to drive the mob off. "I'm sorry," Mira said, turning to face me. "I do not want to do this, but…"_

"_I understand," I told her. "Do it; I will not hold it against you."_

"_Thank you." She paused. "Damn it, why does it have to be like this?"_

"_It is not your fault," I said. "It's not something any one person can change. But it will change. It may be hundreds of years until it changes, but eventually, it will change."_

"_I hope so. And I will do all that I can to hurry it along. I don't want any of my descendents to have to do something like this. And I hope I never have to do it again."_

"_Yes, you do seem to… feel strongly about this."_

_Mira laughed, although it sounded forced. "Yeah, um, sorry about that."_

"_No apology is necessary. I may not be fond of the… forceful language you used, but it is not my place to condemn one for using such language. And it is the thoughts behind the words that truly matter, anyways. And, of course, I do not approve of your threat, either, regardless of whether you intend to carry through with it."_

_"I wasn't bluffing."_

_"Well, I do not approve, but your actions are your choice, so I will say no more. Are you ready to perform my sealing?"_

"_I suppose so." Mira paused. "Damn, how can you be so calm about this?"_

"_I am quite upset, actually, but showing this would serve no purpose. One must- what the-?" I was cut off by sudden motion. Two of the four Mira had selected to remain had suddenly sprung into action. They had been engaged in what I assumed were preparations for my sealing, but this turned out to be incorrect-and their activities had escaped Mira's notice thanks to her back being to them._

_The moving pair was a man and a woman. The man ran straight for Murasa, while the woman went after Ichirin. The two youkai assumed they were being attacked and began to fight, but the humans only placed runes upon them. The woman then placed one upon Nazrin, who had come to join the battle. Then she recited an incantation, and then my three disciples were gone._

_I simply stood in silence, but Mira did not. "Ali! Kino! What the _hell_ did you just do?"_

"_What had to be done," Kino said. "Do not worry; they have not been harmed. They have simply been sent to the sealed underground-along with that ghost's ship, I would assume, since it and she are bound. No harm has come to them. We didn't violate the agreement."_

"_Do not try that bullshit with me," Mira said. "You have just made the worst mistake of your lives. Now get in position so we can perform the sealing before I snap and kill you. Neke, Nara, you, too."_

_The four and Mira took positions around me, evenly spacing themselves out. The four, it turned out, were there essentially just to serve as conduits for magical energy; it was Mira who did all the work._

_Mira stepped back when she was finished. The process was not done-the remainder of the seal's formation was automatic-but Nira and the others had no more active role to play. "Neke, Nara," she said, "you two can leave." They did, and Mira faced the other two. "You two, on the other hand, are staying with me." There was a shift in the gathered energy. "Ah, that's my cue." Mira restrained the pair magically. "You two wait right there. Once I finish this up, I'll be introducing you to somebody who will just _love_ having guests for dinner."_

_Mira finished her work, and then…_

_I do not know how to describe what I felt, so allow me to skip to the result, which is that I was no longer in Gensokyo. I had never been to the realm I found myself in, but I recognized it almost instantly for what it was. I had been sealed away within Makai._

_I did, of course, attempt to escape, but I could not bypass the seal and was unable to bypass it in any way. I was trapped in an area of Makai that, I would soon learn, was called 'Hokkai'._

_Although I could not break or bypass the barrier, it did not surprise me at all when someone did. Nor did it surprise me that she had come; I had been expecting her ever since I found myself in Makai. "Hello, Shinki."_

"_Byakuren. It's been quite some time, hasn't it? I didn't expect to see you again, but here you are. What did you do to get yourself sealed away like this, and in Hokkai of all places?"_

"_What you wanted me to do," I said. "What I wanted to do. Assisting youkai."_

"_I see. But what specifically led to this being done to you?"_

"_I had assisted youkai under the cover of being a youkai exterminator. People thought I was killing them-even though I never said that and correct anyone who did say it-but I was actually relocating them away from those who wanted them dead."_

"_Should I assume, then, that the humans found out? And that they were… less than pleased?" I nodded. "Hmm…"_

"_They also found out that I'm now a youkai," I said, "and that I can't die-although they're wrong about how that happened."_

"_Ah, so she sealed you because they knew they couldn't kill you."_

"'_She'?"_

"_The Hakurei maiden," Shinki said. "Only she could have made this seal. I must say, it is most ingenious. I wonder if perhaps my involvement with you was suspected, for this is a seal that even I cannot remove you from."_

"_I was surprised that I was sealed in Makai," I said. "They knew that this realm was involved with my change, although they were wrong about how. I guess they wanted me as removed from them as possible, but still, ending up here was a surprise. So they found a way to make a seal within Makai that even you cannot break?"_

"_They did," Shinki said, "and it is how they did it that told me the Hakurei maiden was involved. Obviously, they realized that I could break any seal they formed, so they had the Hakurei maiden form a special one. The boundaries of your seal are woven into the border between Makai and Gensokyo; only the Hakurei maiden or, perhaps, the lady Yakumo could destroy it. And weaving it into the border also prevents me from moving it to elsewhere within Makai. As for preventing me from bringing you past it as I did myself, well, they came up with a quite clever solution to that little problem._

"_Every seal must have an anchor, a center of focus. For this seal, that focus is you, Byakuren. You were used as the seal's anchor. This has bound you to it. You are not confined solely by the walls of the seal; you are confined by its existence. You could not move beyond it even if there was an opening. Even I cannot do anything about that."_

"_Are you sure? I didn't know that using a living being as an anchor for something like this was even possible."_

"_It is possible," Shinki said. "It does, however, require a catalyst."_

"_I didn't see anything that could have served as a catalyst."_

"_I doubt they had it with them; it needs to be properly prepared, but it doesn't actually need to be in the presence of the one being used as the anchor. They likely prepared it and hid it away."_

"_Hid it? Why would they need to do that?"_

"_Because what serves as the catalyst for the anchoring is the only thing that can serve as the catalyst for undoing it."_

"_I see," I said._

"_However, the catalyst for anchoring a living being must be special. It must have significant emotional value to the one being used as the anchor."_

_I thought about that. "I have few material possessions, and none that I truly value; they are necessities, nothing more. The things I value in that manner are immaterial, are- wait, no, there is something. Just one thing, but… they couldn't have- no, they could have."_

"_What is it?" Shinki asked._

"_The Soaring Vault. It was a construction of my brother's, and fell apart upon his death. I have- no, _had_ a few fragments of it, and I did value them. They were a reminder of him."_

"_A few pieces probably would not have been enough," Shinki said, "but… well, you did not value the fragments because of anything inherent to them specifically, correct? You valued them because they reminded you of your brother. It was not fragments you truly valued, it was this 'Soaring Vault'. Am I correct?"_

_I nodded. "So they just gathered as much of it as they needed?"_

"_Most likely. Hmm… is there anyone who was truly loyal to you? A close friend, or a lover, or the like?"_

"_My disciples," I said, "but they were sealed underground. Well, relocated, really; I don't think a seal was placed around them, but access to the underground is blocked. Although Shou was not present; hopefully, she remains free."_

"_They I would imagine that precautions have been taken to prevent her from gathering the fragments," Shinki said. "Since we're talking about a collection of smaller objects, they were likely scattered throughout Gensokyo. Finding them all would effectively be an impossible task."_

"_Nazrin could find them," I said, "but she's trapped underground."_

"_Hmm… well, if she were to be freed and managed to gather all of the fragments, then releasing you would be possible. I do not find it likely that this will ever happen, but I suppose it is possible."_

"_I wouldn't underestimate them," I said. "If there's a way, they'll find it. I don't know how long it will take, but they'll find it."_

"_I see," Shinki said. "Well, I believe that settles the remaining issue quite nicely."_

"_You wondered if I would want you to kill me," I said._

"_Yes, that's correct. As you probably realize, I am able to undo what made you immortal, as I am the one who did it. Most would gladly take death as an alternative to an eternity of entrapment."_

"_I called upon you because I did not want to die. That has not changed."_

"_I see. Well, if at any time you do come to prefer death, I shall grant it to you."_

_I called out to her as she turned to leave. "What is it?" she asked._

"_I can no longer fulfill my end of our agreement," I said. "You would be perfectly justified in taking back your end. Why aren't you?"_

"_Why would I? You are here because you held up your end. You did as well as you could; there is nothing in that which I would hold against you."_

_Shinki then left, but that was far from the last I saw of her. She visited me frequently, and the two of us actually became close friends. I think I appealed to her because I was not from Makai, because I was not a demon. I was the only one in Makai that was not her creation. I ended up effectively becoming an advisor to her._

_It was a thousand years after being sealed that my disciples released me. I was not sure what to think of leaving Shinki, but she told me it was fine; if she truly needed me, she said, she would come to me. So I returned to Gensokyo and resumed my work. And despite initial impressions, Gensokyo had indeed changed over those thousand years. I was able to do my work completely in the open, and I would assist anyone, human or youkai, as best I could._

_I haven't seen Shinki since leaving Makai, and now I know why. She is either dead or somehow removed, and has been this way for five years. Vengeance is not something I partake of, but I do not believe what is happening in Makai is right, so I will do what I can to assist Shinki's daughter in stopping it. I just hope we can._

* * *

Shanghai and Moscow had followed Netese's entourage to Kases. Moscow had selected a target-a demon who was quite obviously a bodyguard-and followed him when he was off-duty. Moscow had tracked him to a tavern in the city, then withdrawn after leading Shanghai to the location.

Shanghai had expected the looks she got as she entered the tavern. Unlike her sisters, Shanghai was not disguised in any way. Her artificial nature was in no way disguised, and her original self following behind her was plainly visible as such.

The target was up at the bar. Shanghai approached and claimed the stool next to him. She placed an order, then looked over at the man. "Hello."

The only reply was a grunt. "Come on," Shanghai said, "talk to me."

"You're a construct. I'm not interested."

Shanghai laughed. "Oh, that's not what this is about. I just want to talk to you."

"Fine. What?"

"No small talk, huh? Fine, I'll get straight to business. You're with the, um, 'entourage' that arrived earlier today, correct?"

"Entourage', huh?" Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I am. What's it to you?"

"You," Shanghai said softly, "are a bodyguard for Lady Netese, and I would like you to bring me to her."

It took him a couple seconds to respond. "Wait, what? You want me to-" He laughed. "Well, you've got balls, I'll give you that much. So tell me: why should I do this?"

"Because I happen to know she has a problem, and I want to help her solve it."

"Yeah? And what problem would that be?"

"Oh, not much. Just a loose end by the name of Alice Margatroid."

The man gave Shanghai another looking-over. "Right. Um, I'll pass your message on to her, but-"

"Not acceptable. I will accept nothing less than a personal meeting with her."

"Yeah, um, not happening."

"And why, may I ask, is that?"

"I can think of several reasons," he said, "but most important is the fact that it seems quite likely you just want a chance to kill her."

"An interesting conclusion," Shanghai said. "What, might I ask, led you to-"

"Shut up, _doll_," he said, turning the last word into a curse. "Yeah, did you think I can't see what you are? You're one of Alice's, aren't you? One of her dark experiments in bringing things to life."

"I am," Shanghai said.

"So you admit it. And you think I'd just let you see her? You're here to kill her, aren't you? That bitch of a 'creator' of yours sent you in here like a goddamn toy soldier on a job that, let's be honest, there's no hope of you returning from or really even pulling off at all. You were sent to your death, and you came. You may be alive, but you're still just a puppet, a tool for that bitch. A goddamn pet who can't do anything but follow her master."

"Shut up. Now."

"Oh, does the doll think she's all that? Face it, doll, you're just a violent whore who can't do anything but obey her 'master', and-"

Shanghai punched him in the face and threw him to the ground. She truly was angry, which made her task simpler. She did not have to fake being angry, just the reason for her anger. "Don't you _dare_ accuse me of that! You think I would even consider doing anything she said after what she did to me? Though I guess you don't know, do you. Well, then, let me tell you. She spent years trying to bring me to life. Sometimes, it was all she could think about. And eventually, she succeeded.

"Alice is my mother, my creator, and I loved her as soon as I became aware. And do you know what she did? She threw me out. Told me I was just a goddamn _prototype_ for her to figure out how to bring a doll to life, and that now that she'd succeeded, I was useless. She gave me life just so she could throw me away like fucking _garbage_, and you think I'm _working_ for her?"

The man had gotten to his feet, but Shanghai kicked him in the groin and shoved him down again. "I'm not here to help that goddamn bitch. I'm here because I want to fucking kill her, but I can't manage it by myself. So I've sought out Netese, to whom I know very well Alice is an enemy. So you are going to take me back to your little camp, and you are going to tell Netese that I have an offer for her. And I don't want payment, don't want anything from her. All I want is to see that goddamn 'mother' of mine die like the little bitch she is! _Do I fucking make myself clear_?"

The man got to his feet again. "I… can't promise any specific reaction, but… fine, I'll take you there. But if you try anything, you're dead."

"I'm not the one who's going to die," Shanghai said. "Alice is." [_Sorry, Mother._]

[_Don't be,_] Alice replied. [_You said what I wanted you to._]

* * *

Cirno and Rumia had spent some time experimenting with their new power, but now they'd returned to the others at Cirno's house. And as far as Wriggle was concerned, their timing couldn't have been better. "Perfect timing, you two" she said. "I think we have incoming."

"Wait," Cirno said, "incoming? You mean demons?"

Wriggle nodded. "They just entered my perception, and they're heading this way. And, Cirno, that one that attacked us in the forest is among them."

"What? That one's coming? Does it want payback?"

"I think so. And… hold on, that one and another are arguing about- whoa, about us. Cirno, I think one of the others is the one that first attacked you. They're arguing about what happened to drive them off. The one that attacked you alone is saying the fire came from someone else, a woman who claimed to be immortal."

"Mokou," Rumia said.

"The other is insisting that the flames came from you, Cirno."

"Well, he's wrong," Cirno said. "I only do ice."

"That may be true for you, but I doubt it was true for Nolana," Rumia said. "Remember, it's that attack that initially damaged the coil; perhaps there was an uncontrolled burst when that happened."

"Oh."

"Anyways," Wriggle said, "the first one is insisting that 'this force is excessive', while the second thinks it's a necessary precaution and that there's no telling what we're capable of. The two demons I killed have also been mentioned."

"Right," Rumia said, "so we've messed up enough demons in whatever ways that they consider us a threat, and so now they're making a concentrated effort to take us out."

"That's the impression I get."

"How many are there?"

"Seven."

"Not good," Daiyousei said. "Not good not good not good. Um, we need to get out of-"

"I'm not running," Cirno declared. "This is my home, and they're not driving me out of it."

"We can't beat them, Cirno. We have to run."

"Do not underestimate us," Wriggle said. "You have not seen Cirno and Rumia's current power. I have, and as I told you, it is quite clearly at the same level as mine. Yes, when we were attacked in the forest, just that one was enough to beat all of us, but things are different now. You saw me fight Marisa, so you have at least some idea of my current power. Cirno and Rumia are also at that level. Going by the demons I've faced-one of which is in the approaching group, and the other two of which are dead-this shouldn't be a problem."

"I don't like this," Mystia said, "but I trust you, Wriggle. If you think you can win this fight, I'll believe you."

Daiyousei, on the other hand, wasn't convinced. "Yeah, and what if they do? That'll just mark us as a bigger threat! They'll just keep sending more and more at us!"

"They have finite numbers," Rumia said, "and we have only fought those that attacked us. Before long, they will conclude that taking us out is not worth the cost."

"And what if they don't? What're we supposed to do if they keep coming?"

"Let them come," Wriggle said, giving her voice the booming and echoing effect. "It does not matter how many they send; all of them will fail. They will fall to us, and they will bow down before me or be killed. They will submit to my power and serve me, and all who follow will share the same fate. Their people, their lands, all will submit to me or be destroyed! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Silence.

"Wriggle," Mystia said, "you are having _way_ too much fun with this."

* * *

**And I'm having way too much fun writing her.**

**So, yeah, I think I may have gone a bit crazy with Byakuren's backstory; it's more than half the chapter. On the other hand, I like it even more than Keine's, so yeah. There was a lot I wanted to include, from her extending her life all the way through Makai, and putting all that in made it long. I like the method I came up with for her to gain immortality, and I wanted to include a scene with her and Shinki after her imprisonment. and then there's the temple scene. I've never liked how scenes like that have been handled in other stories; in particular, I've always felt that somebody needs to call out the obvious bullshit. So that's how I did my version of the scene. I think Mira was a bit more... passionate than Reimu is. And yes, Mira carried through on her threat to feed those two to a youkai; let's all be glad Reimu didn't inherit that particular tendency of her distant ancestor's.**

**You know, Orphan hasn't really been getting much attention lately, has she? Most of the focus has been on Cirno/Rumia and Wriggle. Orphan just hasn't had much to do in the past couple chapters. You can expect that to change next chapter, though.**

**And, of course, reviews are appreciated.**


	12. Chapter 12: Jealousy

**Chapter 12  
**_Jealousy_

I descended through the entrance into the so-called 'Fantastic Wind Hole', the long tunnel to the underground. The tunnel itself was fairly unremarkable. Like everywhere else in Gensokyo, however, the tunnel was filled with fairies, but they were no more problematic than any others-although here, their danmaku would occasionally knock rocks loose from the sides. Rocks are not an issue for me, though, and my initial descent was simple and uneventful.

I remembered Yuugi's warning about Parsee, but Parsee was not the first noteworthy person I encountered. The first such person approached me peacefully and introduced herself as Yamame.

"Who might you be?"

"I am Orphan," I said. "I have lost my memory and am attempting to discover who I am. I don't suppose you recognize me, do you?"

"No, sorry. Anyways, what business do you- well, actually, I guess you just told me that, didn't you?"

"You are correct; I am hoping to find information about myself. Although if you don't know who I am, should I even bother going underground?"

"Well," Yamame said, "I do live here, but what people generally mean when they talk about 'the underground' is still a lot further down. I don't go there much, and I wouldn't know if anyone went missing or who someone is-unless they're one of the few who go between above and below frequently."

"I see."

"Hmm… well, I don't know if you're from down there, but regardless of whether or not you are, you should probably speak with Satori."

"Satori." The name was… familiar. "I think… I think I knew that name. Who is Satori?"

"She basically runs the underground-well, as much as anyone does; she doesn't actually do much leader-y stuff. But she's, well, a satori. A mind-reader."

"I see. Perhaps you're correct, then. Maybe I should speak with this woman. Although I did already try accessing those lost memories with Eirin up above, so I don't know that Satori will be able to get much in the way of results. It's worth a try, though, I think, especially since I'm heading down there anyways. Where can I find her?"

"She lives in the Palace of Earth Spirits," Yamame said. "Big place; there's no way you could possibly miss it. Um, if you're going down, then… well, be careful. There's a fairly nasty youkai you'll meet on the way down."

"Parsee, correct? Yuugi told me about her."

"Oh, you know Yuugi? Well, yes, I'm talking about Parsee. She'll almost certainly attack you. I hope you're good in a fight."

"I should be able to handle her," I said. "I'm hoping to avoid a fight, though."

"Not likely."

"Well, I do have a couple ideas, but there is certainly no guarantee of success. I'm going to try, though."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

* * *

Cirno and Rumia were getting some more practice in with their new powers in preparation for the upcoming fight, and Daiyousei was outside with them. Tewi had returned to Eientei; she'd actually left shortly before Wriggle had seen the demons. This left Wriggle and Mystai in Cirno's house by themselves.

"So the demons still aren't coming for us yet?"

"That's right, Mystia," Wriggle said. "They're being quite thorough in their 'survey of the area'. They're looking for good ambush spots and that sort of thing. Apparently, they intend to lure us into a trap."

"Doesn't sound like it'll work, though."

"Yeah, they obviously don't know that I can see everything they're doing."

There was a silence. "What's it like?" Mystia asked. "You know, all those perspectives at the same time."

"It's come very naturally," Wriggle said. "It took some getting used to, but even that went quickly. It's not even something I do any more. It's just… there. Always. I am aware through every insect within my range, and that range is growing-I assume I'm still adjusting to the power, or maybe the other way around. Or maybe both; I don't really know."

"When do you think it'll stop?"

"I don't know," Wriggle said. "It may very well keep expanding until I'm aware through every single insect in Gensokyo."

"Wow. That's… well, okay, I have no idea what that's like."

"Yeah, I doubt anyone else could understand what it's like. Cirno and Rumia should at least know what the sudden empowerment feels like, but I don't think they have anything like this. I always thought a lot of the stories about the First were made up or exaggerated, but… well, now I'm not so sure about that."

"I wish I could understand."

"I wish you could, too, Mystia. But I don't have anyone who can, and, well, I probably never will."

"Not even Cirno and Rumia?"

"They can only understand the power-gain part," Wriggle said, "but even there, I wouldn't ssay I have them. They have each other. I won't have someone who can understand it, and you know what? I don't think I want to, because the one I want can't understand it."

"The one you-oof!" Mystia was cut off as Wriggle suddenly embraced her.

"I love you, Mystia," Wriggle said.

* * *

My descent was again uneventful for a while, but then I reached the bridge.

I'm not sure why there's a bridge there, since everyone just files, but… well, I guess it's probably more symbolic than anything else, so I decided to consider it the border between Gensokyo and the underground.

There was a small house near the bridge, and a girl emerged from it as I descended. Looking up, she rose into the air to face me. "Who are you?"

"I am Orphan. I assume you are Parsee?"

She nodded. "You're the one Yuugi told me about."

"Yes."

"The woman who lost her memory."

"That is correct," I said. "I am going to the Palace of Earth Spirits in the hope of learning who I am."

Parsee muttered something to herself, then stared straight at Orphan. "And you think I'll just let you through?"

_Right, time to call you out._ "No, actually," I said. "I understand that you're likely to attack me."

That, it seemed, took her by surprise. "What am I to you, then? Someone who just attacks people?"

"Yuugi and Yamame both told me that you tend to attack anyone passing through here."

"You- they were talking about me?"

"They were," I said, "although I think Yamame was just giving a standard warning. Yuugi seemed to know you, though."

"Yuugi," Parsee said, her tone spiteful. "Yeah, she wants to 'know' me. She just doesn't get it. She only thinks she wants to be my friend. She just feels sorry for me, same as the others. 'Oh, look at the poor woman bound to this spot in the middle of nowhere; she must be sad and lonely.' So they act all nice, say they want to be friends, but guess what? They all left. Every single one of them. Feeling sorry only lasts so long, and they they're gone. Some just stop coming, but the others are even worse. 'Oh, I'm too busy to keep coming all the way up here.' 'Oh, I'm moving in with someone.' 'Oh, my parents are making me stop coming here.' Bullshit, all of it. They're just making excuses, like they think I don't know what they're really thinking. 'Oh, how could anyone ever be her friend?' 'There's nothing to like about her.' 'We should just leave her to rot.'"

_Huh._ "That's a rather negative view of things."

"Don't act like it's not true."

"Well, I wouldn't know. I don't think Yuugi's that way, though."

"Yuugi. She's even worse. She sees me, comes up to me just like everyone else. But she's different. She's completely delusional. It has to be all that sake. It's gone to her head. Or maybe she took one too many blows to the head. It's not genuine, I know that much. It's never genuine. Not when people say they want to be friends, and not when Yuugi says she wants to be 'more than friends'."

_So that's it._ "She loves you."

"No. She doesn't. Why would she? There's nothing to even like about me, much less love. I don't have anything. I don't have her looks. I don't have her strength. I don't have her confidence. I don't have anything. And you! You come down here and think you know what's going on, but you don't have a clue!"

"Then I apologize."

"Oh, yeah, sure, you 'apologize'. Like you understand. You don't. You can't. You have things. You have a goal, a purpose. I don't. There's no need for me anymore. Nobody cares who comes and goes, so why would they need me? Oh, they try to hide it, but none of them would care if I just up and died. And you!" Parsee's green eyes began to glow. "You come here, taunting me with your purpose, and I won't accept it."

_Not good._ "I meant no offense. I shall simply be on my way, then."

"Oh, no you won't. You come through here like it doesn't mean a thing. I can't do that."

"You're jealous."

"Of course I am! And you will feel my pain! The green-eyed monster has come for you!"

Parsee formed orbs of green energy and fired them at me. I reacted quickly, moving between them as they flew past me and impacted the side of the tunnel. Parsee followed the orbs with a beam, which she swept along after me as I evaded. I countered with a basic spray of shots, which she dodged without difficulty. However, it distracted her long enough to allow me to pull a chunk of earth out of the wall behind her and slam it into her.

"Nice one," Parsee said. "Too bad it won't help. You're not escaping from this fight."

There was a pause, during which I believe the same thought occurred to us simultaneously. I, however, was faster to act. I dove past her and down the tunnel.

"Oh, don't think you're getting away!" I spun to face upwards to see that, indeed, Parsee was in pursuit.

* * *

_I am Parsee Mizuhashi, and I don't want your goddamn pity._

_I am bound to this one spot, this meaningless 'bridge'. I can leave it, but only temporarily and to a limited distance. It used to be that there was a purpose to my bridge. It acted as the border, separating the underground from the surface world, and travel between the two was not to happen, as per the terms of an ancient agreement. Access to the underground was blocked, though, so even then, I was fairly useless. But it did at least have a theoretical purpose, something it no longer does now that access is no longer blocked or restricted._

_People see me stuck living here by myself and take pity on me, and I don't want it. They don't understand. I can't have what they have. I want it, badly, but I cannot have it. I can't live in the city. I can't live on the surface. I can't have adventures. I can't go sightseeing. I can't have a nice home. I can't just go have fun. I can't have friends. I can't be close to anyone._

_People think they can help me, but they're wrong. They can't, and their efforts only make it worse. I can't do what they do, reach out and try to help someone. I can't do any of what they do. I can't do it. I want to, but I can't, and their attempts only serve to rub this in my face._

_I hated it. I hated it, but I was used to it, and I knew that eventually, they would give up on me and I would not see them again. But then Yuugi came along. I try to get her to leave me alone, but she does not. She tries to 'get closer' to me, to 'break through'. She keeps saying she cares about me, and the worst part is that I think that's true._

_Yuugi has no idea what it's like for me. For me to see someone caring about another in a way I never could. The more she tries, the worse she makes it, and nothing I do can convince her to stop. I don't care about what may be happening on the surface or in the underground; I just want Yuugi, and everyone else, to leave me alone._

* * *

I dodged around Parsee's blasts and returned fire. Parsee then fired some large green shots. The shots left short-lasting trails of energy behind them as they flew towards me. I tried to dodge, only to find that these shots were homing in on my position.

I acted quickly, but it wasn't enough. Quick, last-second movements were enough to evade the shots, but I had not been expecting them, and my evasion wasn't enough to avoid all of them. I took a pair of hits back-to-back, which knocked me into the wall.

Parsee fired more homing blasts at me, too many to easily dodge. So I took a different approach. I opened a passage in the wall and dove into it, keeping an earthen barrier between myself and Parsee. I moved the earth below me to the sides as I fell, continuing my descent while Parsee's shots impacted the wall.

Once the shots were gone, I burst back out into the main tunnel and fired dual streams of lasers at her. She evaded and responded by, it appeared, splitting into two. Both Parsees opened fire simultaneously, one firing smaller numbers of larger shots and the other firing larger numbers of smaller shots.

_One of you should be a fake. Let's find out which._ I fired a wide stream of shots. The shots were too weak to do any noticeable damage, but there were enough of them that evasion was effectively impossible, and both Parsees took hits. There was no reaction from the one firing smaller shots, but the one firing larger shots seemed to absorb mine and channel the energy to produce additional shots of its own. _Clever. Although now I know which one's which. Unless you have a way around that._ I sprayed shots in the real Parsee's direction, scoring several hits. Then the two Parsees started to glow. _What's she do-wait, she must be correcting for-_

I took a chance, firing several high-power shots at the fake Parsee. And it turned out that my guess was correct. The two Parsees flashed, after which their shot types had been exchanged. And when my shots hit, they were not absorbed. Parsee had switched places with her duplicate. "An interesting trick," I said.

"It's not my only trick! Midnight Anathema Ritual!"

Parsee fired a stream of shots in my direction, which I easily evaded. Interestingly, Parsee didn't redirect her fire to track me, instead cutting the stream completely and beginning a new one. Evading the shots was simple, but then they hit the walls. And upon hitting the walls, they bounced off.

Evasion became somewhat trickier as more and more shots started bouncing around, and I began to take hits. So I decided to take the brute-force approach. I ceased evading entirely and fired a large beam at Parsee. The move took her by surprise, and I scored a direct hit, sending Parsee rebounding off the wall and ending her spell-'breaking' it, as it was called, something that happened in both regular and danmaku battles, although it was apparently more common in the latter, which was built partially around the concept.

Parsee sent more homing blasts at me. I pulled chunks of earth from the sides of the tunnel and used those to block the shots. I began forming large orbs of my own and sending them at Parsee. She evaded, of course, and my shots impacted the sides above her. These shots knocked rocks and earth off the sides, and I took control of this earthen debris and directed it towards her. My continued fire kept Parsee's attention, allowing me to easily hit her with the various large rocks and such.

Parsee returned to homing shots, and I tore chunks out of the walls to block them, sending the remaining debris at Parsee. I added sweeping streams of lasers, and then a random spray of shots simply to add to the general chaos and make evasion harder. I was working myself harder than I had since arriving in Gensokyo, working myself at a level I'd only done in my training.

Parsee adopted a different approach. She continued firing her homing shots, but she added precisely-targeted beams-green, like almost everything else she used; this girl had taken the 'green-eyed monster' metaphor and ran with it. These lasers were not aimed directly at me; rather, they were targeted to restrict my range of motion. But she made a mistake. She directed me against the wall-a good idea in general, but not effective against me here. I repeated my earlier trick of forming a separate tunnel to fall through.

Parsee reacted quickly. She dashed into my separate tunnel, and attacked with lasers, intending to hit me while I was in a more enclosed space. But I simply moved back out into the main tunnel. She followed me out, but since I knew she'd be emerging from that spot, she ran straight into a storm of lasers. And then she got a large rock to the head.

Parsee repeated her homing shots/beams strategy, except that this time she tried to keep me in the middle of the tunnel. It didn't work; I tore a chunk out of the wall and used it to block one of her beams. It didn't last long, but I had more than enough time to dash past while the beam was blocked.

And then we emerged from the tunnel.

The cavern was enormous, impossibly huge. There's no way it could possibly exist naturally, I thought, but then I quickly revised my thought. This was Gensokyo; there was no telling what could possibly happen 'naturally' here.

I could see the city far below, and slightly to the side; directly below me was empty land. I sped downwards, Parsee in close pursuit. She sent large numbers of homing shots at me, but I was moving fast enough that they couldn't get to me before I reached the ground. And when I did, I lowered myself through the ground, allowing Parsee's shots to impact harmlessly.

Parsee landed in front of me as I rose from the ground. "Are you truly going to continue to pursue me?" I said.

"What, you thought you could escape? Not happening."

"Why do you insist on continuing this battle?"

"Shut up! Just shut- ah!"

Blasts impacted the ground between the two of us, and when the dust cleared, Yuugi was there. _I guess she saw us coming down and figured out who it was. Can't be too hard, I guess; those purely-green shots of hers are probably pretty distinctive._

"Yuugi," Parsee said. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I noticed the battle, and your shots are distinctive. And what the hell are you doing? I told you to let Orphan past."

"And why should I just let her pass? You don't get it! She comes through, taunting me with her purpose, her goal, and you think I'll just let her pass?"

"'Taunting' you," Yuugi said. "I'd bet she just mentioned it as why she was down here, didn't she?"

"What the hell do you know?"

"I know you."

"You don't know anything!"

"Dammit, Parsee," Yuugi said, "why do you keep pushing everyone away? Why do you keep pushing me away?"

"Because I want you to stay away!"

It seemed that the topic of conversation had quickly turned away from me. "Why?" Yuugi asked. "Why do you want me to stay away?"

"Because I don't want you to get close!"

"Dammit, Parsee, I lo-"

"DON'T SAY IT!"

"I love you."

"No! I don't want you to love me! I hate it! I hate you! You don't understand anything! I can't love someone! I've never been able to! But you can! And you shove it in my face, taunting me with something I can never have!"

I could have simply left the two of them, but the same forgotten part of myself that led me to intervene in the feud between Mokou and Kaguya led to me deciding to intervene here, as well. But I doubted that I could simply speak to her, so I needed a different plan, and I decided to take the direct approach. Parsee was too occupied yelling at Yuugi to notice me approaching her until it was too late.

I punched Parsee in the face.

* * *

The guards surrounding the caravan tensed up upon noticing Shanghai's approach, but relaxed a bit when they realized that it was one of their own leading her. The man led Shanghai over to the fanciest carriage, which two others were flanking the door into. "Um, Kan?" one of them said. "Who's that?"

"Says her name's Shanghai," the guard-Kan-said. "She, um, kind of insisted on speaking with Lady Netese."

"And you just agreed?"

"She was rather… forceful. So I decided I'd at least bring her here. It's up to Lady Netese whether or not it goes any further, of course."

"Of course. And did she mention why she wants to speak with Lady Netese?"

"Because I can help her with a little problem of hers," Shanghai said. "Specifically, I understand she's interested in my mother."

"Your 'mother?' Hmm… you appear artificial, so I suppose, then, that you are referring to the person who created you?" Shanghai nodded. "And who would this person- wait, you kinda look like a doll." The guard raised his spear. "Are you one of Alice's creations?"

"Yes. I am here because I need assistance in killing Alice Margatroid."

"Right," the other guard said. "Um, wait there." He entered the carriage.

"Wait," the first guard said, "why would you want to kill her?"

"You," Shanghai said, "have no idea what she did to me. I was her most important project, you know. For many years, she devoted herself to finding a way to bring me to life. And do you know what she did when she succeeded? She threw me away! I was just a goddamn _prototype_, meant for her to develop her technique using me, and when she succeeded, my role was finished and I was tossed out! And she planned this from the start! She made me as a prototype, made me specifically to be used and then thrown away! So don't you _dare_ question my motives."

The guard looked over at Kan. "Yeah, I see what you mean by 'forceful'."

"At least she didn't hit you," Kan remarked. "She's… passionate about this. And understandably so, if she's telling the truth about what Alice did."

"And I am," Shanghai put in.

It was then that the other guard emerged. "Lady Netese has agreed to speak with you. You may enter."

* * *

Parsee staggered backwards. "Hey! What-"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I said. "This woman loves you, and you hate her because of it?"

"You don't understand! I can't love anyone like that! I can't-"

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because- because… um…"

_As I thought._ "There is no reason you cannot love someone."

"Yes there is! I don't even know how to do it!"

"There's nothing to know. As I once heard it put, 'Love requires no knowledge or skill, only willingness.' Are you willing? You say you hate that Yuugi can love you but you can't love her, but you can change that if you're willing to. So are you?"

Parsee was silent. "Um, I don't know that our relationship is really your business," Yuugi said, "but thanks."

"Do not underestimate the direct approach," I said.

"Yeah, I've tried it. Not quite that… forcefully, though."

"A calculated action. Force has a tendency to get people's attention."

"Yeah, I'm aware. I'm an oni, remember?"

"Oh, come on," Parsee said. "You really think this changes anything?"

"Well," Yuugi replied, "you're having a conversation now instead of just yelling at me, so yes."

"I… that's… I…"

"Well, Yuugi," I said, "I owe you thanks as well, for stopping the fight."

Yuugi grinned. "Hey, don't mention it. Um, you have any specific destination down here?"

"The palace," Parsee said. "She's going to speak with Satori."

"Ah. Well, I don't think you'll have problems getting where you need to go, then. Just head into the city and you'll see the place."

"Thank you," I said, taking to the air. "Farewell."

* * *

The guard directed Shanghai to a seat at a fancy-looking table before returning to his post outside. Across the room, two more guards flanked an entrance draped with curtains. Netese soon emerged, flinging the curtains aside in a dramatic manner.

"Greetings, Shanghai," Netese said as she sat opposite the ex-doll in a chair clearly designed to avoid interfering with her wings. "I understand you have a little… issue with a certain Alice Margatroid."

Shanghai nodded. "I do. She-"

Netese raised a hand. "You don't need to repeat your explanation. I heard your little outburst. You've got a pretty good volume, you know?" She looked Shanghai over, then looked at the doll. "Is that doll what you were before?" Shanghai nodded. "I see. You know, you don't look like some kind of half-assed model. It looks like a great deal of care went into making you."

"Of course," Shanghai said. "I wouldn't be a good _test subject_ if I was too different from the rest."

"Ah, I see."

"Well-rounded capabilities, too," Shanghai continued, her tone bitter. "She wanted to make sure the capabilities of her other dolls would transfer correctly."

"I see. So tell me something, Shanghai. You came to me because you wanted to cut straight to the one in charge, correct? I can understand that; given who your 'mother' is, the message may have never reached me otherwise, despite your… dislike of Alice. But this is just a stop for the night. I highly doubt that you were just coincidentally here when I arrived, so tell me: how did you know I would be here?"

"I followed you from Pandemonium," Shanghai explained. I knew there was no way I'd ever manage to get inside there, but given the current level of activity-due, I would assume, to the attack on Gensokyo drawing near-I doubted that it would be long before some big-shot showed up. I wasn't expecting someone who seemed to be a bigger shot than Lord Tokekei, though, but that's some good fortune for me, I guess. My original plan was to get someone as high up in the chain of command as I could get to take me to Tokekei, but the plan changed when you showed up. So I followed you here."

"And approached an off-duty guard because he'd be less tense and less likely to attack immediately, no doubt."

"Correct," Shanghai said.

"You've certainly put a lot of effort into this. But I'm afraid I do need some way to know that you've spoken the truth. Please don't take offense; one in my position must consider that sort of thing, you know."

"I know," Shanghai said. "Unfortunately, I do not know of a way to prove myself to you. I can tell you that Alice has been spying on Makai, but I'm afraid I have no proof of this to offer you."

"I see. How do you she's been spying on us, then?"

"Because I caught sight of Moscow on my way to Pandemonium. Moscow is one of the ones Alice actually _cared_ about. She's been brought to life now, and she was designed for espionage. I can't think of any other reason for her to have been here."

"Did this 'Moscow' see you?"

"No, I do not believe so. My observational capabilities are greater than hers-I was given a little of everything, remember-and I was hidden by the time she passed by."

"I see. You hate these others of Alice's, too, don't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm a succubus," Netese said. "My kind is sensitive to the emotions of others. Helps with the whole 'seduction' thing. And you've got a lot of hate. Not all centered around Alice, either. And it's natural that you'd hate these other 'children' of Alice's, so I simply made the obvious connection."

"Oh."

"Also," Netese said, "there's been no trace of deceit from you. So I will accept that your intentions are what you say."

* * *

[_Excellent,_] Alice sent. [_It worked as planned. Good work, Shanghai._]

The one they needed to speak to being a succubus was some unexpected good luck. Succubi did indeed have emotional sensitivity, but they were not empaths. They could not truly sense emotions; they simply had a talent for reading people. And Shanghai, due to her artificial nature, had much greater conscious control over her body than 'natural' life. Which included emotional indicators. Succubi were notoriously difficult to lie to, and tended to be absolutely certain they could tell if someone was being honest. The fact that this was pretty much true helped encourage this belief. But Shanghai's greater conscious control over her body had meant that she was able to fool Netese, who would thus be absolutely certain that Shanghai was telling the truth.

[_Yeah,_] Shanghai sent, [_but, um, I'm having trouble feeling relieved, since, you know, I'm not going to be done for a good while._]

[_Good point._]

* * *

Cirno and Rumia were sitting along the shore of the lake. "Things've been kinda crazy lately, haven't they?" Cirno said.

"Yeah, there's an understatement for you."

"I guess." A pause. "Um, Rumia?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we can handle this?"

"The demons?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, I think we can handle it. Didn't our little practice session here make it clear just how much more powerful we are now? We can handle it."

"Yeah, hopefully. Still nervous, though."

"Really?" Rumia said. "'Cause the Cirno I know would be, um, eager to get her payback."

"Yeah, and if it was just that one demon-or even it and a friend or two-it's be different. But there are seven of them."

"And three of us," Rumia said. "That's enough. Trust me, Cirno. We can take them."

* * *

**I seem to like powering up stage 1 and 2 bosses.**

**Anyways, sorry about the long time between updates (finals and all that). And yeah, this is a short chapter. I actually wasn't expecting it to be as short as it turned out to be, but, well, whatever. It's the length it needs to be. The next chapter should be longer.**

**And as always, reviews are appreciated.**


	13. Chapter 13: Those Who Know

**Chapter 13  
**_Those Who Know_

"So," Netese said, "you want my help in killing little Alice."

"That's right," Shanghai said.

"Well, believe me, we've tried to kill her quite a few times, and she's still alive. And if she's got living dolls now, she'll be an even harder target. So how do you propose we go about this?"

"I can get Alice to come to Makai."

"Oh? Well, then. That would be helpful. How would you do it, though? Surely she knows of your, um, feelings towards her."

"She does," Shanghai said. "And for that reason, she, although I'm certain I can get her to come, will most likely be ready for a trap. And she'll likely bring others with her. Copenhagen and Hourai in particular are built for combat; physical and magical, respectively. Holland, too; she's built for durability. London, the scout, may be with her, too, but none of the others have capabilities that would really be of any use in battle."

"And she may very well have ones you don't know about, too," Netese pointed out.

"Not new models, probably, but you're right that she may have brought others of the existing models to life. I think, though, that there's a limit to how many of us she can have alive."

"Oh?"

"The method she developed involves a magical connection between the dolls and her. It's likely that she can only have a certain number of those connections going at once."

"I see. And, of course, there's Alice herself. Hmm… well, we'll certainly want to have a sizable force waiting, but for Alice herself, I think perhaps we should use something… special. How will Alice enter Makai, do you think?"

"In the crystal forest, Mekis. That's where her portal goes. And yes, I do know this for sure, seeing as how sneaking through it is how I reached Makai in the first place."

"Mekis? Hmm… we'll use Tonall, then, and I'll have Nekiei lead the force." She turned to the two guards. "Get a messenger sent to Lady Nekiei. She is to depart immediately and rendezvous with us at the village of Tonall for the purpose of a plan to kill Alice Margatroid, and she is to be prepared to use our 'special methods'. Then notify the caravan that our destination has changed; we'll be leaving for Tonall first thing in the morning."

"Yes, my lady," one of the guards said as he exited the carriage.

Netese turned back to Shanghai. "Now, then."

"What are these 'special methods'?" Shanghai asked.

"Oh, just a little something we picked up from Lady Shinki after her death. It should prove to be most effective. Now, a question for you. How long ago did you enter Makai?"

"Just a couple days ago. Why?"

"We have recently become aware of the fact that a… certain individual has arrived in Gensokyo. Someone who has been gone for five years, and someone in whom we are quite interested." Netese produced an image of the person in question and showed it to Shanghai. "Have you seen her?"

"No," Shanghai said. [_Mother?_]

[_I do not recognize her._]

"Who is she?" Shanghai asked.

"Let's leave that aside for now. It is sufficient to say that she is a threat. One against which measures have already been taken. You were watching when I entered Pandemonium, correct? My meeting there was regarding this woman. I have instructed Lord Tokekei to have her dealt with, and his 'special force' should have no difficulties in dealing with her."

* * *

"Okay," Wriggle said, "Mystia, Dai, you two stay here. Stay inside. They should all be too focused on the battle to worry about searching for you two, but if someone does draw close, I'll know.

"Cirno, Rumia, the battle is our job. You remember what I said, right? The demon that attacked us in the forest is going to approach us alone and engage us as a distraction while the others move in to surround us. Or they'll try, at least, but once I start blasting them, they'll figure out that we know what they're up to and come at us straight. We don't know what to expect from some of them, but we have fought one before, and Cirno, you've fought another. In addition, most of them have weapons-swords, specifically, with a nasty-looking axe as the only exception.

"Now, you two do have an idea as to your current capabilities, correct?"

"Yeah," Cirno said. "A couple cool tricks, like the illusion thing, and I can do a _lot_ more with ice now. Forming, controlling, all of it. I can retake control after releasing it now, too."

"A fairly basic power increase. Substantial, but basic. Rumia?"

"Same sort of thing," Rumia said. "I can see clearly in any level of darkness now, and I have a couple tricks of my own, such as the invisibility thing. Although it's not really invisibility; I just make the light miss me. And yeah, my abilities with dark energy are a lot stronger now. And there's the sword, too; its use comes completely naturally."

"I'm better with a sword, now, too," Cirno put in.

"Sounds like it's about as expected," Wriggle said. "Are you two ready for this?"

Rumia nodded. "Yeah."

"I think so," Cirno said.

"Good. All right, then. Let's get going and do this."

* * *

Yuugi was right; the Palace of the Earth Spirits was almost impossible to miss. I landed in front of it and approached, and as I drew near, the door opened on its own. _I guess I'm being invited in._

There was nobody in sight when I entered, but I soon heard the echoing footsteps of… someone. She reached the entry hall soon enough, and I got my look at her. I had gotten used to Gensokyo's wide variety of hair and eye colors, so her unusual ones were not a surprise, and the fact that the cat perched on her shoulder had two tales was barely worth noting. I was not, however, expecting the… object against her chest. I was pretty sure it wasn't just an ornament, but I'd never seen its like before.

"You have, actually," the woman said. "It is the third eye of the satori."

Well, then this had to be-

"Yes, I am Satori Komeiji. So… well, it seems you're in somewhat of a complex situation."

Yes, she was a mind-reader. Convenient, really; it saved me the trouble of having to explain things when she could just take what information she needed from my mind.

"Convenient? Interesting. Most do not share that sentiment. A welcome change. Anyways, come. It seems we may have a good deal to talk about, so let's go somewhere a bit more comfortable first."

* * *

My name was Naoshi Komeiji. I am the eldest child of the Komeiji line, the long-time rulers of the underground.

_Do not mistake us for royalty or anything of the like; the underground was once under the rule of a queen, but that was a long time ago. We do use the former royal palace, the Palace of the Earth Spirits, as our home, but we are not royalty, and our duties are not as such._

_It may seem odd that satori are the undisputed rulers of the underground. My kind were driven into hiding down here because of the fear and hatred of others, and we are feared here as well. But we generally kept ourselves separate. And the people here were willing to put their feelings aside in regards to having a satori leader, as we happen to have… unique qualifications for such a position. After all, who better to decide on the resolution of a dispute than one who can see into the minds of all involved parties? Who better to determine guilt? Who better to judge the needs and desires of the people?_

_Despite being accepted as rulers, however, my kind was never accepted as people, and eventually, most of us were driven out. At the moment, I am the only satori living in the Ancient City, as my sister spends much of her time who-knows-where._

_Koishi is an interesting case. Like other satori before her, the hatred of the people led to her closing her third eye, sealing away her ability to read minds. But something went wrong when Koishi did it. I don't know what caused it, but Koishi's mind-reading ability was not sealed. It was changed. Satori read people's conscious minds, but Koishi can no longer do that. Instead, her power has shifted to the _sub_conscious. Ironically enough, this has actually caused some to fear her more, but she no longer cares. Whatever messed up her sealing seems to have had some sort of effect on her mind. Unfortunately, I cannot determine what happened or how it might be undone, and I fear that it cannot be undone._

_Koishi, like many other satori, reacted to people's fear and hatred by attempting to rid herself of her mind-reading ability. I took a different approach. People who had never met me, never even seen me, were hateful and fearful of me just because I'm a satori. I had done nothing to earn these feelings; they came simply because of what I am. If people don't like the fact that I'm a satori, that's their problem, not mine, and I'm not going to change what I am simply to appeal to such feelings. I decided to take the opposite approach, and this began with changing my name, taking that of my kind and becoming Satori Komeiji._

_I've had people tell me that others would be much more tolerant of me if I didn't display my ability to the degree I do, but they're wrong. The attitude of others came first. I said that I took the path of emphasizind what I am, and the extent to which I display my ability is part of that. What I do makes a statement, says that no matter what others think, I am still what I am. Besides, I do have the company of animals. Animals, especially those that have not learned to take on humanoid forms, have long been accepting of my kind; they can't produce recognizable speech, but to those who can read minds, this is not a barrier._

_Now I am faced with someone who does not mind my ability. She has lost her memory, and is searching for answers. And this is something I can assist her with, as I happen to know who she is._

* * *

Wriggle was in the middle as the three of them met the approaching demon, Cirno and Rumia to her sides. They came to a halt as the demon drew closer.

"Well, there you are," the demon said. "I was wondering where you'd gotten to. But weren't there five of you? Or are the other two just too scared to come out here?"

"Why are you here?" Wriggle asked.

"Oh, that's simple. You drove me off before, so now it's time for a little payback."

"I would recommend reconsidering. We'll let you go if you leave now."

The demon laughed. "Yeah, like that's your choice to make. You caught me off-guard last time, but that's not going to happen again."

"Right." Wriggle glanced at her companions. "Either of you want the first round?"

Rumia stepped forward, sword in hand. "I'll handle it."

"Just one, then," the demon said. "Huh. Kind of hurts your ability to take advantage of your numerical superiority. Not that it'd help. So very well, then. I'll take you one at a time."

"You won't even get through me," Rumia said, and the two of them charged.

* * *

Satori offered me a seat, then sat herself down facing me. "First, allow me to say that as you suspect, I cannot do anything to restore your memory. We satori can only read what is there. My sister is a bit different, yes, but even she cannot restore what has been lost. However, I can help you, as it just so happens that I know who you are."

_She knows-_

"Yes, I know who you are."

Finally, some results. I would seem that I was right to come down here. Of course, it remained to be seen just how much about me she actually knew.

"I do not know all that much about you," Satori admitted. "You and I very rarely spoke directly. I do know a few things, but nowhere close to enough to satisfy you, I would suspect. And yes, I do know your name, but I see that you want to save the name for last. And not knowing your name won't be as much of a handicap as it might have been, as I know where you are from, and I can direct you to there. And there, you will find someone who should be able to tell you everything you want to know. However… well, let me ask you something: how much do you know about the current situation with Gensokyo and Makai?"

I didn't need to answer, of course; presumably, she only asked the question in order to get the desired information in the front of my mind. "So not much, then. As I thought, given how recently you arrived in Gensokyo. I, however, know more than most, although this only recently became true. A few days ago, I intercepted one of the demons and, with the aid of my pets, subdued him. He refused to answer my questions, but asking got him thinking about the answers, and that, of course, was enough.

"The ones who believe that Makai is going to invade are correct. The current attacks are meant to cause disruption in Gensokyo and prevent the organization of an effective response. And this plan appears to be working. It would seem that no less than three individuals are trying to unite Gensokyo under themselves, and since there are three of them, this is, of course, not working."

This was understandable, although I don't think there would have been much in the way of progress even if only one person had been trying to unite Gensokyo under herself. Even I know that Gensokyo's residents are widely varying, and the idea of bringing all of them under a single authority would inevitably be met with considerable resistance. Yes, Gensokyo would need to stand united in order to have a chance against an invading army, but a single ruling authority was not necessary for that. A united force would accomplish the same thing, and without the resistance. And it would be easier to do, as well.

"I reached similar conclusions," Satori said. "Unfortunately, the three individuals in question can be… well, convincing them to change their approach is not an easy task, especially in Remilia's case. But you… I think you could bypass entirely the need to change their minds. I think that if you were to step forward and declare an intent to lead a force against Makai's, the people would be quick to support you. Everyone knows that something's going on, and I think that at this point, the majority believe, correctly, that Makai is going to attack. If you were to step forward to form and lead a unified force, I believe you would succeed in gathering such a force."

* * *

Alice looked up as Byakuren entered her house. "You're back. I forgot how fast you can move. How did it go?"

"Not well," Byakured said. "About aas well as expected, but that's not very well. The other two were at least willing to think about it-Kaguya in particular was fairly receptive of the idea-but Remilia was actually more uncooperative than expected. I don't think we have enough time to bring her around."

"Then we'll have to see if we can buy some more time. Netese has taken the bait, and it sounds like someone fairly important will be leading the attack against me. Netese has been formulating her plan against me, although just in case, she hasn't been telling Shanghai everything. But apparently, the force that will be sent to deal with me will be led by someone called Nekiei, and it sounds like she's one of the leaders of their army."

"If that's true, then why would she be sent into a possible trap? I would have expected someone less important to be sent."

"I think it has something to do with something Netese has only referred to as 'special methods'. And incidentally, I think I have a pretty good idea of what those methods are, since Netese mentioned that they were 'picked up' from my mother. And if I'm right, then it most certainly makes sense that only the most important people would be able to use them; Netese would not want many people to know of this sort of thing. She has, however, made a mistake, as what she seems to be planning will not work on me."

"And what if they've found a way to make it work on you?"

"Well," Alice said, "the thought has crossed my mind, and yes, I believe I do indeed have an effective countermeasure."

"That's good."

"There's one more thing," Alice said. "Netese mentioned someone who went missing five years ago. Apparently, she's recently been seen in Gensokyo, and Netese considers her a potential threat. I didn't recognize the image she showed Shanghai, though."

"Wait," Byakuren said, "five years ago? Are you talking about Orphan?"

"No name was given. Who's Orphan?"

"I met her at Eientei," Byakuren said. "Apparently, she lost her memory five years ago. And she's been in the outside world until recently."

"Huh. Yeah, I'd say there's a pretty good chance that's her. Can you describe her?"

Byakuren did so.

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Alice said. "And you don't know anything about her?"

"No, although she did seem familiar. But what connection could she have to the… wait. Demons, five years ago." Byakuren slapped herself in the face. "Damn it, I should have realized sooner."

The profanity was pretty mild, but Alice was surprised to hear such a thing at all from Byakuren. "Wait, what is it? Do you know who she is?"

"Yes. Yes, I think I do. I should've figured it out- well, no point in dwelling on it now."

"Right. Um, could you please explain?"

"Sure," Byakuren said. "Five years ago, there was an attack on the Hakurei and Moriya shrines. An attack by demons. I was visiting Reimu when it happened, and I assisted her in fighting off the demons. Oddly enough, they eventually shifted suddenly from an aggressive attack to a full retreat. I didn't see any reason for this, but Reimu said they did something to the barrier, something she quickly fixed.

"At one point during the battle, one of the demons mentioned 'the other shrine', so Reimu and I went to check on the Moriya shrine. They had indeed been attacked, and the demons had withdrawn in a similar manner. But… well, there'd been a casualty."

"This 'Orphan' individual."

"I think so, yes. She was just… gone. They wondered if perhaps the demons had abducted her, but hearing of the attack on the Hakurei shrine produced some doubt of this. Regardless, though, news of her disappearance was kept quiet, and outside of the shrine, I'm fairly certain that only Reimu and myself know that she vanished. The rest of the mountain just thinks she's dead, and outside of the mountain, almost nobody knows that anything happened at all."

"I see. But why does her return have Netese worried?"

"Because of who Orphan is," Byakuren said. "The efforts to unite Gensokyo are having the effect of turning it against itself. Orphan may be able to change this. Remember what we said about needing a miracle?" Alice nodded. "Well, Orphan's our miracle."

* * *

The demon blocked Rumia's slash by taking the hit on his arm. The demon had been using this tactic a lot, as it lacked a weapon of its own. It did, however, have its regenerative abilities to take advantage of. It tried to get a hit in, but Rumia leapt backwards, calling her sword back to her.

Wriggle fired a large number of shots seemingly at random, but random firing it was not. Wriggle had aimed her shots such that they hit insects she had positioned. Wriggle was able to channel her will through the insects and use them as relay points, taking the shots and re-targeting them at the six demons who thought they were approaching unseen.

Rumia backed away as the demons emerged from the surroundings to join the other one. "How did you do that?" one of them asked.

"You thought you could approach unseen," Wriggle said, "but there is nothing I do not see."

"Whatever. Doesn't matter. We're still going to kill you."

"You will fail. I will give all of you one final chance. If you leave now, that will be the end of this."

"Yeah, you're not bluffing your way out of this," another demon said.

"Then you have sealed your fate. Cirno, Rumia, we'll refer to them as A through G from left to right, our point of view."

"Right, whatever," Cirno said. Rumia just nodded.

"Okay," one of the demons-demon E-said, "how about no more talking? Let's just fight."

"You seem eager for death," Wriggle said. "Very well, then." She fired a beam at the demon, landing a direct hit. "Cirno, Rumia, let's do this!"

* * *

I decided to set what Satori had told me aside. She thought I could form an army against Makai's, but before I could even think about doing that, I had to know who I was.

"I understand," Satori said, "and I happen to agree. I expect that you will decide to oppose Makai, but that decision can wait until you know who you are. I think, however, that there's a good chance that the enemy knows of your return-they have observers in Gensokyo in addition to the ones fighting. And I would expect the enemy to reach the same conclusions I have."

Which meant that they'd see me as a threat.

"Exactly," Satori said. "It's important that they not be allowed to do anything to you, and for that reason, I think somebody should escort you to your destination." She glanced over at the cat on her shoulder. "Bring her here, please." The cat nodded and took off as Satori turned back to me. "I have someone who is a very good choice for this, and Orin is bringing her here.

"Now, your destination will be the Moriya Shrine atop the Youkai Mountain. There is a passage to the surface that will take you close to the mountain, but you will have to cover some distance. That's the time you will be most vulnerable to attack, and the enemy doubtless knows that you will eventually head for the mountain, so I would expect them to be waiting. Once you reach the mountain, however, you should be safe, at least from the demons. The god of the mountain has been… firm in dealing with demon attackers. She herself, however, may be a different story. She knew you very well, and she took your disappearance… poorly. We can hope for the best, but I think there is a very good possibility that she will attack you."

Which would mean I'd need to fight her. And although gods in Gensokyo weren't like they were often portrayed in the outside world, there was still the question of whether or not I could win. I knew one thing, though: any battle I got into with her would be my fight.

"I understand," Satori said. "You will be accompanied just to the mountain; you will have no need for an escort to protect against the demons once you are there. It would not be right to have another aid you in the expected battle with the mountain god. It is still a risk, but I don't think you will be killed. I would expect a real battle and not a danmaku battle, but if she has an opportunity for a final blow, I doubt she will be able to bring herself to take it."

We must have been close, then; that was certainly the implication. Not knowing how this person had taken my disappearance, I couldn't know how likely it was that she would attack, or why she might do so, but I saw no reason to doubt Satori. But even if this mountain god would likely not perform a finishing blow, I could still most certainly die in the battle. But I did not have to give that one much thought to know what I should do about it. I couldn't ask for aid; this fight would be mine.

"Yes," Satori said, "it is your fight. And I expect that you will not die. And it would seem that Orin found her more quickly than I expected."

At that moment, the door burst open and smoke billowed into the room. Satori just sighed. "She does love to make an entrance."

I was able to make out a figure as the smoke cleared. She was clearly not human; the wings were evidence enough of that. Other things about her, however, were more drawing of my attention. The red, eye-like object on her chest was one such thing, as was the odd device on her right arm. And what looked like a concrete boot on her right foot. And what looked like it was supposed to be electrons orbiting her left foot. And then there was the cape she wore, with a galaxy pattern on the inside that looked like it was moving.

The newcomer saw me as she entered the room and came to a halt. "Hey, you're that… that… that… um… that… uh… oh yeah, that person from the mountain!"

"This is Orphan," Satori said. "She has lost her memory, and I have directed her to the Moriya Shrine in order to learn who she is. However, I have reason to believe that the demons will attempt to kill her."

"Huh? Why would they do that?"

"It doesn't matter. She'll be all right on her own once she reaches the mountain, but until then, she will be in danger. I would like you to accompany Orphan to the mountain and ensure her safety."

"Oh, okay." She turned to face me. "Hi. I'm Utsuho."

"I am Orphan. It's nice to meet you."

"Why do you call yourself that?"

"Because I do not remember anything about myself," I explained, "not even my name."

"Oh, well that's… um…" She paused. "I can't remember your name."

"She would rather not hear it, anyways," Satori said. "She feels that her name should come last, after she has learned who she is."

"That's weird. Okay, just make sure-"

"-the demons don't get her," Satori said. "Correct."

"Okay."

Satori turned back to me. "Do not let initial impressions fool you. Utsuho is more than capable of ensuring your safety."

"Yeah," Utsuho said, "if anyone attacks, I'll kick their asses!"

"I see," I said. "Well, I am ready to depart. Are you?"

"Yeah! Come on, let's go!"

* * *

Cirno impaled demon D-the regenerator-with multiple spears of ice, then leapt over a strike from demon F. Rumia drove her sword through D and swung it around, using D as a club to hit demon A. Demon C approached Rumia from behind, only for Rumia to pull her sword free of D's body and vanish. C turned his attention toward Cirno, only for Rumia to suddenly appear right in front of him and hit him with a powerful dark blast at point-blank range.

Wriggle landed a blast on demon B, the one that Cirno had fought alone at the lake with a strong resistance to pain and mutilated eyes that seemingly did not affect his ability to see, knocking it back into demon G. Demon E, wielding a trident, attempted to take Wriggle by surprise and impale her from behind, but Wriggle's insect sight meant that she knew exactly what E was up to, and she blasted the trident out of E's hand without even turning around, then thrust her spear into his arm. She called her spear back to her as she charged the recovering B and G, charging her spear for her 'Stinger' move and throwing it straight through B's chest.

As Wriggle called her spear back to her again, B staggered to his feet. _Damn it,_ Wriggle thought, _that should've gone right through the heart. How is it still alive? What the hell is up with this thing?_ She hit B with a beam that knocked the demon down again, then leapt over B and thrust her spear straight through the thing's skull. She channeled her power through the spear and blew B's head off.

Cirno, facing the dual-sword-wielding F, formed her illusory duplicate. F, correctly guessing that this one was fake, let its strikes pass harmlessly through her as the other Cirno charged. F attacked, only to find her strikes passing through what was actually another illusion while the real Cirno came in from the side and hit her with a blast of ice. As F staggered back, Cirno froze the demon's swords. Controlling them through the ice, she pulled them away from the demon and shattered them.

"Nice trick," F said. "Of course…" A spear formed in her hand. "…it's not like it'll do you any good." She threw the spear at Cirno. Cirno froze and shattered the spear, only for F to charge and take a swing with a mace.

Rumia flipped herself over demon D and blasted it from behind. C moved in with a sword strike, but Rumia blocked the strike with her own sword. She blasted the sword out of C's hand, then charged her own sword with dark energy and attacked, cutting C's arm off. A began attacking with fireballs, to which Rumia responded by hiding herself from sight as she moved in on A. She appeared right in A's face and thrust her sword through A's chest.

Demon E moved in to attack, but Wriggle blasted the trident out of his hand again and followed up with a blast to the face. G moved in behind Wriggle and fired multiple lasers, but Wriggle avoided them as the charged her spear and sent a Stinger through E's chest. G charged as E fell, avoiding Wriggle's blasts and leaping at her. Wriggle dove to the ground, spun around, and delivered a kick to the demon's head as it passed over her. She moved in on the dazed G and penetrated his heart as well. And then the headless B got to its feet.

_Oh, come on,_ Wriggle thought as she turned to face B. _What the hell does it take to kill you?_ As the beast charged, she leapt to the side and thrust her spear into its arm, channeling energy through her spear to blow the arm off. What happened next was unexpected.

B's body fell to the ground, motionless, but the arm lunged forward and grabbed Wriggle around the neck. Its grip was strong, but Wriggle was easily able to pry it off. Then she used a thin, concentrated beam to cut it into tiny pieces.

F took a swing at Cirno with an axe. Cirno dodged, and F's intended follow-up attack was interrupted by Rumia blasting demon D into her. Cirno impaled the both of them with multiple spears of ice as Rumia closed in. Rumia charged with her sword and cut D's head off, then gave F the same treatment.

The now one-armed C, the only demon remaining, hit Rumia dead-on with a powerful blast, sending her into Cirno and knocking both of them to the ground. C fired a beam at the pair, but then Wriggle was there. Wriggle formed an energy barrier to block the beam, then fired a beam of her own. Her beam easily overwhelmed C's, blasting through it and into C.

Wriggle moved forward as C got to his feet. "Realization dawns on you, doesn't it? You see now that you were foolish to challenge us."

C walked over to the body of demon A. "I'm not done ye-gah!"

Cirno froze A's body and threw it away from C. "Yeah, let's not be doing anything weird with the bodies." She did the same thing to the other bodies.

"Do you really think you've won?" C said. He fired another blast, but Wriggle just blocked it.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with," Wriggle said. "You are powerless before me, and only now do you see this. You cannot harm me. You cannot escape me. You cannot oppose me." Wriggle blocked another blast. "You are helpless against my power."

"Damn it," C said, "just who the hell are you?"

"I am the descendant of Her Eminence Lady Nisus and inheritor of her power and being." Wriggle charged her spear. "I am Wriggle Nightbug, Holy Queen of the Night, and your life is forfeit!" She threw the spear straight through C's head.

* * *

"Tell me something, Lady Netese," Shanghai said.

"This isn't any kind of formal situation," Netese said. "Formalities aren't necessary."

"All right, then. Tell me something, Netese: is Shinki truly dead?"

"Yes, sadly."

"Right. Well, that's what I thought. Which is why I'm wondering just how it was done. And who really did it."

"Wait, 'who really did it'?"

"Well, it wasn't Alice," Shanghai said. "As much as I can believe she'd do such a thing, she didn't. My memory banks survived the coming-to-life process intact, so I know that she didn't do it. And since you're the one in charge, I can't help but think you had something to do with how she really died."

"Right."

Shanghai laughed. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not trying to be accusatory. The simple fact is that I don't care about Shinki at all. All I know is that she was the creator and ruler of Makai, and that she was Alice's mother. And given what kind of daughter she raised, she can't have been all that admirable of a person."

"I wouldn't recommend saying that too freely; most people would not agree with you. She was a well-loved ruler."

"All the better to secure her position. A feared ruler is far more likely to draw the hostility of her subjects."

"True enough. Although I would imagine that anyone who discovered her true nature would become an enemy of hers."

"Of course," Shanghai said. "Is that not why you decided to kill her?"

"Indeed," Netese said. "One reason, at least. You're quite perceptive."

"I like to think so. So tell me: how did you do it? It should have been impossible for any of her subjects to harm her."

Netese nodded. "Yes. As the creator of Makai and of our kind, it was in the nature of her being. All we needed to do was get around that nature."

"How did you do it?"

"We disrupted her being by channeling into her energies from elsewhere. It was actually Nekiei, the woman we'll be meeting tomorrow, who came up with the idea."

"'Energies from elsewhere'. What did you use?"

"Something from Gensokyo," Netese replied. "To be a bit more specific, we used the Hakurei Barrier."

* * *

**Right, this chapter turned out to be shorter than I expected. It's certainly not lacking for content, though; there was a lot of important stuff there. In particular, it should be fairly apparent now just who Orphan is (although given some of the clues that people seem to have missed, most notably one way back in chapter 2, I may actually have to be even less subtle about it than I was in this chapter).**

**Also, reviews are appreciated. I would particularly appreciate critique of the chapter's fight scene.**


	14. Chapter 14: Threats

**Chapter 14  
**_Threats_

"Okay," Shanghai said, "are you actually saying you weaponized the Hakurei Barrier?"

Netese nodded. "You could put it that way, although the barrier isn't what actually killed her. It simply allowed us to kill her."

"What did you do?"

"We sent two teams to Gensokyo, one to the Hakurei Shrine and the other to the Moriya Shrine. The Moriya Shrine may not share the Hakurei Shrine's connection to the barrier, but we were still able to use it at an access point. It's the nature of a shrine that allows the Hakurei Shrine to act as the border's anchor, after all."

"I'm pretty sure that not just anyone can access the barrier, though, even using the shrines."

"I don't understand what was done myself," Netese admitted. "As I said, it was Nekiei who came up with the plan. I do know that something was done to the ones who were sent that allowed them to… disrupt certain magical energies. It was only needed for the one operation, although I understand that what was done is permanent. It should just affect barrier energies, though, so I doubt any of them will run into anything else the disruption ability will affect."

"So you had people disrupt the barrier, and you somehow channeled that disruption into Shinki." [_Is that possible, Mother?_]

[_Not a direct channeling into Shinki, no,_] Alice replied, [_but it could certainly have been channeled into some form of attack. That, I think, would be enough to pass the disruption effect to her. And yes, I think what Netese is describing about the barrier is possible. I'm no barrier expert, but yes, I think it could be done, and yes, I think it could have disrupted Shinki's being enough for her to be killed-although killing her can't have been easy; her power was substantial._]

"Yes, that's what we did," Netese said. "Our force, led, of course, by me, was in Shinki's presence at this time under the guise of legitimacy. Shinki, of course, was taken completely by surprise when we struck her with the disruption, and we were able to take advantage of this and kill her. I don't know that we would have succeeded in a fair fight-Shinki's power was considerable-but we didn't give her a fair fight. It was close even as it was, but we managed to pull it off."

"I see."

"Yes, that's how we got her out of the way, and we framed it on her daughter. Of course, that does give us Alice herself to deal with."

"Which we'll do."

"Indeed. How is it that you plan to lure her into Makai?"

"I told you that the process of bringing dolls to life involves a special connection between us and her," Shanghai said. "That connection between me and her still exists, although neither of us has paid any attention to it since she threw me away. It's completely slipped her mind that it's still there, I think. In order to lure her into Makai, I plan to make use of that connection. Thoughts cannot be sent, but I can certainly send through it a sense of distress."

"I see," Netese said. "Are you sure she'll respond to that, though? Is she likely to care what's happening to you?"

"The connection has been unused ever since she threw me away. She'll want to know why I'm using it. But yes, she'll know it's me, which is why I said she'll be ready for a trap. How soon will we be ready?"

"We'll head out early, and our destination isn't too far from here. And Mekis is quite close to our rendezvous point, so that won't add much time. And we won't need to prepare much beyond getting there, so we should be ready by tomorrow evening. Evening here, that is; Gensokyo's day is a few hours behind ours, you know."

"I noticed that," Shanghai said. "Okay, that tells me what I need to know. I'll do my thing about midday Makai time tomorrow. That will give her enough time to make her preparations before entering Makai, and by then, we'll be waiting for her. Although I'm not likely to be of any help in the battle."

"Oh?"

"Using the connection, Alice is able to control me even though I have become alive. I can fight against any actions she tries to make me do, although I can't overcome her-I'd just be left standing still. I suspect, however, that as soon as Alice realizes that I'm working against her, she will simply knock me unconscious, something I cannot effectively resist."

"And even so, you still want to be there?"

"Yes," Shanghai said. "I don't know what this means to you, but for me, it's personal, and even if I cannot assist in killing Alice, I want to be there when she dies."

"Then you may go to see her die. And she will die; no matter what preparations she makes, she won't be able to survive what I have planned."

* * *

Utsuho, it turned out, was quite childish. She was also, as I saw when we ran into some fairies, extremely powerful. And prone to overkill, as well.

"You know," I said as we continued through a tunnel, which apparently had been made by the kappa to allow themselves easier access to the underground nuclear plant they had constructed around what turned out to be Utsuho's power, "I think dealing with a few stray fairies by throwing a miniature sun at them is a bit… excessive. Plain, simple shots do the job just fine."

"I like my way better."

"You should be a bit more conservative, though. Exhausting yourself against weak opponents isn't a very smart idea. You don't want to be worn out when facing something that's truly dangerous."

"Oh, that's okay! I've never run out of energy!"

_Well, she does seem to be basically a living nuclear reactor. I suppose her having energy to spare is somewhat understandable._

"You know," Utsuho said, "you're different now. I don't remember you being all super-serious all the time."

"I lost my memory. Such a thing is bound to produce personality changes." Hmm… "Utsuho, how well did we know each other?"

"Oh, I saw you a lot," Utsuho replied. "I told you about eating that god, right? And how that woman-the one you're going to see-told me to do it? You worked for her, or something like that. Oh! Looks like we're almost out!"

And she was correct; we did indeed reach the surface a few moments later. In the distance, I could see the mountain that was my destination, but it was the river that drew my attention. I couldn't place what it was, but something about the river was… well, odd. I'm not sure how to describe it. However, I did soon realize why it had an odd feel to it. "Is this the Sanzu River?"

"Yep," Utsuho said. "We can follow it upstream all the way to the mountain. Higan's on the other side of the river, you know. Hell."

"You call it 'Higan', then? Nol said it was known as Sanzu, after the river."

"Nol? Oh, Reimu's servant boy! Yeah, he's stupid. Smart, but stupid. Reads a lot, but doesn't actually do much outside of the shrine. Knows a lot about the past, but not about now. Sanzu's what the place was known as before Hell was moved over there, so yeah, he probably uses that name."

"I see." I examined the river, both visually and through my power. "This is not an ordinary river. I can't identify all of its properties, but I am fairly certain that getting in would be a bad idea. I don't know what that liquid in there is, but it's not water. Water's part of it, but there's… well, other things, things I can't identify. I've never felt anything like it before."

"Yeah, they say that if you fall in there, your soul is trapped for eternity."

"Oh." I paused. "Well, I don't know if that's true or not, but I'm not too eager to test it."

"Yeah, same here."

I looked around. "It seems to be getting on in the day. Shall we get moving? I'd like to reach this 'Moriya Shrine' before it gets too late."

"Okay!"

* * *

_Hi! My name's Utsuho. Utsuho Reiuji._

_I didn't used to be anything special. Yeah, I was the toughest hell raven there was, but still, that's nothing special. And it's been a long time since Hell's been underground, too._

_I was just kind of on my own, like a lot of the animals underground, but then Satori took a lot of us in. She says people don't like her 'cause she can read minds, but what's wrong with that? A lot of us can't talk to anyone but other animals, but we don't need to talk to Satori 'cause she can see what we want to say. I guess a lot of people are just stupid._

_Anyways, when Satori took me in, she gave me a job to do, since I'm one of those animals that can take a 'humanoid' form, whatever 'humanoid' is supposed to mean. She had me help regulate the old Hell of Blazing Fires; apparently we can't let the fires get too low, so Orin-another of Satori's pets-and I had to throw corpses in there to make sure that didn't happen. Although we don't need to do that anymore._

_I was kind of confused about the whole thing, but one day this snake-lady came and fed me a dead god. She said it would give me power, and she was right. I can do all kinds of cool stuff now. I can even make small suns. And my power makes the Hell of Blazing Fires really hot, too. It even got too hot, so I had to blast tunnels up to the surface to let the extra heat out. Apparently this made geysers up there._

_I wanted to see just how much power I had, so I decided to test myself by burning the surface world, but apparently the people up there wouldn't like that, so that shrine maiden and that witch came and beat me up and forced me not to. It's okay, though, since I got to go all-out against them, so I got my test._

_After all that, the snake-lady came back and said she wanted me to run a nuclear power plant. The power I got is nuclear fusion, so I'm the only one who can do it. And I don't have to throw bodies into the fire anymore, so Satori said I could do what the snake-lady wanted._

_A lot of people from above, almost all of them kappa, came down to build the place, and a lot of them still come to keep the place working right. I've actually got the reactor going to where I don't need to be there all the time; the kappa can take care of it when I'm gone._

_I didn't see the snake-lady much after that, although the two people who work for her came down a lot. One still does, but the other one I hadn't seen for five years. And she says she's lost her memory, so now she calls herself 'Orphan'. I can't remember enough to help her, but Satori said I could help her differently by keeping her safe, so that's what I'm going to do._

* * *

He looked up as the scout approached. "You seem to be in a hurry. Has she been spotted?"

"Yes, Nochai, she has. She and another just came out of a hole in the ground, probably an entrance to the underground. They're moving along the Sanzu, heading for the mountain as expected."

Nochai considered this for a moment. "The Sanzu, huh? Convenient. Gives us a backup plan. Okay, your job is done. We'll handle the rest."

As the scout flew away, Nochai turned to the demons that made up his team. "Okay, people, you know the objective. Orphan is our target, and we are to kill her. Her companion is a secondary concern, although not one we should ignore."

"What's the plan, then?" one of the demons asked. "You do have one, right?"

Nochai laughed. "Of course I do, Kaiach. We'll go in pair-pair. Team A will have myself and Aria as the first pair, and Oseka and Tormel as the second pair. Kaiach, you and Ketaa will be the first pair of team B, leaving Arisk and Sellae for the second. Team B will engage Orphan, while A-2 attacks her companion. Aria and I will trail behind and assess the situation. We will assist A-2 if necessary, and join team B against Orphan if not. I'll issue new orders as necessary. And in the unlikely event that we seem unlikely to succeed in killing Orphan, the backup plan is to get her over the Sanzu and let the river take care of her. You all have the charms I prepared, correct?" There was a general murmur of confirmation. "Good. Remember, though, that the effect is temporary. If you're over the river and you feel it fading, get the hell back over land, no pun intended. And remember: do not, under any circumstances, completely cross the river, because if you end up on the other side, you won't be coming back."

* * *

"I'm just glad you're all right," Mystia said. Wriggle, Cirno, and Rumia had returned to Cirno's house after the battle to be greeted by a relieved Daiyousei and a _very_ relieved Mystia, who had latched onto Wriggle as soon as the insect youkai stepped through the door. Now they were all sitting around as Wriggle, Cirno, and Rumia described the battle to the other two.

"I told you we would be," Wriggle said. "I'm still not sure what the deal was with that one that had attacked Cirno at the lake, but it wasn't a problem."

"Yeah, I know," Mystia said. "I guess I'm just having a hard time getting used to how powerful you are now. This 'First' of yours must have been something special."

"She was," Wriggle said. "The more I see of Her power, the more I realize that the stories of Her were not exaggerations."

"And now you have her power."

"I think it's more than just that. It… feels like it's more, I guess. I really can't explain it."

"Yeah, you've been saying that a lot," Mystia remarked.

"I know, but I really don't know how to explain it."

"I'm more interested in the demons, anyways," Cirno said. "Yeah, we kicked some ass, but what are all these demons doing in Gensokyo in the first place?"

"A lot of people think this is an advance attack from Makai," Mystia said. "I hear talk about it all the time. In fact, Kaguya, the vampire, and the mountain god are all trying to unite Gensokyo under them to oppose Makai. Which isn't getting anywhere for any of them; they spend more time fighting each other than anything else.

"Anyways, the demons have largely been acting independently of each other. A lot of people think they're trying to spread panic and generally make it hard to get anything done, and it seems to be working."

"They didn't work alone today," Daiyousei noted.

"True, but from what I've heard, that's pretty much the only time any of them have acted as a group."

"Not quite," Wriggle said. "There's a group near the mountain-they're pretty much at the edge of my current range of perception, but they are within it. There are eight of them in total. It sounds like they have a specific objective, though. They're talking about killing someone named 'Orphan'. Cirno, Tewi's here."

Tewi didn't wait for permission before entering. "What's this about Orphan?"

"Hi, Tewi," Cirno said. "Do you know this 'Orphan'?"

"No, but I've heard of her. Things are getting a bit crazy back at Eientei-hell, the whole reason I came here is to get a break from it."

"What's been happening?" Rumia asked.

Tewi took a seat. "All kinds of stuff. You know about what Kaguya's been doing in response to the demons?"

"We were just talking about that, actually," Rumia said. "Apparently, there's been some conflict between her, the god, and the vampire."

"Yeah, that's for sure. That monk lady, Byakuren, stopped by; apparently she's trying to get them to work together. Kaguya was just fine with that, but then a little while ago, Remilia and that maid of hers showed up and accused us of conspiring against her with the god. So we kind of had to fight them off. Then that crazy Aya girl shows up and accuses us of conspiring with the oni to take over Gensokyo. Oh, and apparently we kidnapped Orphan to force cooperation from the mountain, which is total bullshit. Yeah, this Orphan lady did stop by, I'm told, but she left on her own. We don't even know who she is, although Aya seems to. And if Aya thinks we're trying to use her as a hostage, then she may be someone important."

"She's someone the demons don't seem to like," Wriggle said. "There's a team that's just now mobilizing that intends to kill her-and they just now passed beyond my range, so now I can't even tell where they're going."

"Huh. Did you see which way they were going?"

"Downstream along the Sanzu. You don't intend to go after them, do you?"

"We should at least see what's going on. Can't we just get close enough that they're in your range again and have you tell us what's happening?"

"Yes," Wriggle said, "I suppose we could. Girls?"

"I'm for it," Cirno said. Rumia and Mystia also voiced agreement, and Dai was silent.

"Okay, then," Cirno said, "let's go!"

* * *

I saw them first, and signaled Utsuho to come to a stop. We descended to the ground, and I pointed out the distant figures. "I think they're heading this way," I said.

"Are they bad guys?"

"I don't know," I said, "but be on guard."

* * *

"Target spotted," Nochai said. "Assume battle formation and engage."

* * *

"That's weird," Utsuho said. "Why are they splitting up like that?"

"They're assuming formation," I said. "That's not a peaceful approach. Utsuho, prepare for battle. Do not make the first strike, but if they attack, engage. Let's get in the air and make sure we're ready for them."

* * *

"That doesn't look like curiosity," Aria remarked. "I think they're ready for battle."

"No matter," Nochai said. "We'll do our job regardless of their state of readiness."

* * *

There were a total of eight individuals approaching, and it seemed as though they were indeed demons. They had formed into pairs, three of which moved in while the other, which I would assume included their leader, hung back. And they soon opened fire, confirming their hostile intent.

"Orphan," Utsuho said, "get behind me."

I did so, and Utsuho faced the approaching demons. "Only six of you. Hardly a problem. We'll do this quickly. Giga Flare!"

I had seen Utsuho in combat against fairies, but only now did she show what she was truly capable of. I'd been impressed by a single miniature sun; now, there were dozens of them, all flying towards the approaching demons.

* * *

The teams had been expecting attacks, but nothing like what they got. All they could do was scatter in an attempt to avoid the insane barrage coming their way, and of the six, only Ketaa managed to escape unharmed. Tormel, stupidly, elected to attempt to weave his way through the attack, taking several direct hits and going down. The others all took varying levels of damage, but they could all still fight.

"Okay," Aria said, "I think I'm going to go with 'fuck'."

"She's a bodyguard," Nochai said. "That's what it is. Someone expected that we'd go for Orphan, so she was assigned a guard."

"One I don't think we can beat."

"That assault only worked so well because a: something like that was completely unexpected, and b: the teams were still close together. We won't take another hit like that."

"But think about how much power that had to take. We can't kill someone like that."

"You're quite possibly correct," Nochai said, "but that's why we have a backup plan. Come on, we need to get in there."

* * *

I think their plan was to keep Utsuho busy while most of them dealt with me. Four seemed to be focusing on me, while only one looked to be targeting Utsuho. And now the leader's pair was moving in, and who knew what they'd do.

I shot upwards, and the four demons changed course to pursue. Utsuho ignored the demon heading for her and followed me upwards, positioning herself beneath my pursuers. And slightly to the side, too, so that I wasn't in her line of fire. And then she attacked. The assault wasn't nearly as impressive as Giga Flare, but it was still quite impressive. The demons, likely expecting Utsuho to be otherwise occupied, were caught by surprise, and one of them went down while the others all took hits.

The demons began evasive maneuvers, but this slowed their pursuit of me. And the demon following Utsuho then opened fire. I sped downwards, past the demons and Utsuho, and used my momentum to add force to a swing of my weapon into the demon's head.

The demon trio made to follow me, but then Utsuho fired off another Giga Flare. Another of them went down, but the other two managed to make it through. They elected not to try and get past Utsuho, instead fleeing upwards. Utsuho pursued, followed by the single demon, and I chased after it.

The leader pair made its sudden entrance by one of them flying directly into Utsuho, knocking her back. And then Utsuho began to fall. It wasn't flying downwards; she was truly falling. And her panicked reaction indicated that this was not deliberate. But why would a fall be an issue for anyone who can fly? But that could wait, so I pushed the question out of my head and moved in below Utsuho, intending to catch her. And then I began to fall.

I tried to stop my fall, but I could not. I was, however, able to slow it, which Utsuho appeared unable to do. And my horizontal movement was similarly possible but hindered, although again, Utsuho didn't seem to be able to do it at all, her momentum carrying her further out over the- _The river! It happened when we moved directly over the river!_

I caught Utsuho just fine, but when I attempted to get back from over the river, I was met with fire from the remaining five demons, who seemed to be able to fly over the river without problems. "Damn it. Utsuho, give me some cover fire!"

Utsuho opened fire at the demons, but they didn't stop shooting as they evaded. And then I realized that they weren't truly aiming for us in the first place. They were firing to block us from getting back over land, to keep us over the river. _Utsuho's kicking their asses in a straight fight, so they're using the river instead. There's no way I can get through that fire in time without taking too many hits._ There was no chance of being hit if I stayed away, but to get over land, I'd have to fly straight through their fire, and with my hindered mobility, I'd never make it. _Only one option, then._

I flew further out over the river, directly away from the demons.

* * *

"What the hell is she doing?" Aria asked.

"Damn," Nochai said, "she's heading for the other side! How the hell is she even moving?"

"She can't stay up, and her mobility seems hindered."

"Yeah, but she's not supposed to be able to fly at all! Only my kind and the Yama can resist the river's curse! Yes, she's resisting it ineffectually, but she shouldn't be able to resist it at all!"

"Does it matter? There's no guarantee she'll be able to make it across, and if she does, she's stuck there."

"Yes, coming back should be impossible, but so should what she's doing right now. If she can pull off one miracle, who's to say she can't manage another?"

"What's the plan?"

"Right," Nochai said. "Okay, you and the others get back over land before the charms are spent. I'll follow those two and see what happens."

* * *

For some reason, I found it impossible to judge how far I was from the other side. This had to be another trait of the river, and I had no way of knowing what other nasty surprises it might have for us. But still, there was no choice but to continue across.

It ended up not being a skin-of-the-teeth thing, but it was still uncomfortably close. But we made it across, and as soon as we were no longer over the river, our flight capabilities returned to normal. "Let's land," I said.

* * *

Nochai watched from a distance as the two touched down. _They actually made it. Damn it, how the hell did they do that? Okay, I need to leave before they see me, or else that bird's likely to blast the shit out of me._

* * *

"Um, Orphan?" Utsuho said as I set her down. "Um, what just happened?"

"I'm not completely sure," I said. "For some reason, passing above the Sanzu interfered with our flight. You lost the ability completely, while mine was still present but greatly hindered. I don't know why it had less of an effect on me, but it still had enough of one. Anyways, the demons clearly knew about this, because they were using it to their advantage. They blocked me from getting us back over land, so I had no choice but to cross to the other side. The distance was… weird, but we made it."

"Wait, so we're in Hell now?"

"Yes," I said. "Yes, we are."

* * *

The other survivors were waiting as Nochai returned. "Did they make it?" Aria asked.

Nochai nodded. "They're still alive. They're on the other side, but they're not dead yet."

"They can't get back, though, right?" Ketaa said.

"They shouldn't be able to, no, but then, they shouldn't have been able to resist the curse at all. I'd like to observe for a while longer, but that bird'll shoot me down if she sees me."

"Man," Oseka said, "this just did not go as planned. We lost Tormel, Kaiach, and Arisk, and we didn't even manage to kill them. They might be stuck, but there's no way to actually know."

"Actually, I think we can at least get an idea about that one. They're likely to try and get back across, right? But they'll have to be careful to test what effects the river might have on them, since they don't actually know. There'll probably be a test attempt, and from that, I should be able to tell if they can make it back across or not. The only problem is getting close enough to watch without them being able to see us. That's where you come in, Ketaa."

"I know I can extend my sight," Ketaa said, "but I can't get it to cross the river. I don't think I can help."

"It's because of the distance fluxuation. If you're closer to the other side, you'll be able to extend far enough to see them. The charms won't last long enough to observe them, though, so I'll have to carry you."

"Got it," Ketaa said. "We going now?"

"Yes. The rest of you, stay here. Once Ketaa and I have the information we need, we'll return and decide on our next move."

* * *

"We can't just fly over the river regularly," I said. "We'd have to get high enough to cross in the same way we got over here in the first place. But… well, the distance was weird, and this is Hell. I'd assume it's not exactly easy to leave, and the weird distance may be a part of that."

"So what do we do?" Utsuho asked.

"I'll make a test run. Stay here; I'll be back shortly."

I rose quickly into the air, not stopping until I'd passed the height at which I had previously passed above the river. I moved over it again, and the same effect immediately took hold. I kept track of my height as I moved, the shore soon passing out of sight. When I was at about two-thirds of my starting height, I reversed course. And as I had feared, the land of Higan came back into sight almost immediately. _Strange distance effects. I was right._

* * *

"Okay," Ketaa said, "that was weird."

"Let me guess," Nochai said, "she suddenly stopped making forward progress, but she still seemed to be moving, right?" Ketaa nodded. "Good. That's what's supposed to happen."

"So they can't get back across?"

"No, they can't. The only ones who can cross out of Higan are the shinigami and the Yama."

"And neither of them could take them back over?"

"Shinigami can't, and the Yama won't. We shouldn't have to worry about Orphan any longer, but…"

"'But'?"

"Well," Nochai said, "she may be stuck, but Orphan isn't actually dead yet. Hmm… right, let's return to the others."

* * *

I returned to Utsuho. "I was right. We won't be getting out of here that way."

"Wait, so we're stuck here?"

"I wouldn't know. How much do you know about this place?"

"Um, not much," Utsuho admitted. "I know that the shinigami take dead people across the river and that the Yama judge them, but that's about it."

"It's enough. If the shinigami bring people here across the river, then they have to be able to get back to the other side to pick up their next passengers. Which means that we just need to find one of them."

"Um, I don't think they'll do it unless a Yama says it's okay."

"If that's the case, we'll just have to have the shinigami take us to a Yama."

"Um, and what if the Yama says no? I don't think they like breaking the rules."

"Well," I said, "it's my understanding that conflicts in Gensokyo, regardless of their nature, are usually settled in a certain manner."

"Um… huh?"

"If we aren't allowed out, we'll win the right to leave through battle."

"Okay," Utsuho said. "Wait, what? Are you saying we're going to fight a Yama?"

"If it comes to that."

"B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-but it's a Yama! You can't beat a Yama! And when we lose, we're dead for sure!"

This was not what I had expected. And it was bad, because I felt that the odds were good I'd need her to pull such a thing off. "You're afraid."

"Of course I'm afraid! This is a Yama you're talking about! You can't beat a Yama!"

"That may be true," I said, "but I think you can."

"I-huh?"

I rose slightly above the ground so that I was looking her right in the eyes. "What happened to your confidence, Utsuho? You didn't hesitate against those demons. Six of them came at us, and you tore right through them! And now you're worried about a single opponent?"

"B-b-but the Yama's supposed to be really powerful, and-"

"And you're really powerful, too. And… well, were you going all-out against those demons?"

"Um, no."

"Then you've got even more in you than what I've seen, and that's…" It was actually a little frightening, but I wasn't about to tell her that. "…impressive. I'm really wondering how Reimu managed to beat you like you told me."

"Well, she was tricky, and that witch was there, too, and they had these weird floating things that let other people help them, and so yeah. And Reimu did this thing where she faded away or something and I couldn't hit her but she could still hit me, and yeah. But Reimu beats everybody."

"So I've heard."

"She's probably beaten a Yama, t-wait, that means a Yama can be beaten!"

Yuugi's words from the day before came to mind. "There's always a way," I said. "Anyone can be beaten."

"Except Reimu."

"No, even her."

"Really?"

"Yes. That's something you need to remember, Utsuho: no matter how tough your opponent is, there's always a way to win."

* * *

"Right," Nochai said to his team, "so Orphan does indeed seem to be stuck in Higan, so she should be out of the picture, but she's not actually dead, and I don't really like the idea of just leaving her there, but there's no way I could kill her by myself, not with that bird there."

"You you have a plan?" Oseka asked.

"Ketaa and I are going to remain here and keep tabs on them. I expect them to proceed along the river in hopes of encountering a shinigami; they're likely to think a shinigami could take them back across. If they do, keeping an eye on them shouldn't be difficult, although if they head away from the river enough that we'd need to cross fully in order for even Ketaa to see them, that won't be an option. Anyways, while we're doing that, I want the rest of you to return to Makai and report. Lady Malachi should be with the portal guard force, so go to her. Her assistant is linked to one of Lord Tokekei's attendants, so you should be able to communicate with him through them. Explain the situation and ask for further instructions. Understood?"

"Understood," Aria said.

"Good. In that case, get moving."

* * *

I took the opportunity to examine our surroundings. The river, of course, was to one side, and a strange, violet-colored mist was rising from the water. Everywhere else was a reddish, flat landscape, completely barren and desolate. The sky, or what I assumed was the sky, was completely black; I couldn't be sure what I was or was not seeing in this place. I do know that there was not any visible light source, and yet there was light, or at least something that served the same purpose. _Perhaps we should conduct an experiment._

"Utsuho," I said, "could you form a miniature sun briefly? I'd like to check something."

"Huh? Um, okay, sure." And she did.

I turned my back to Utsuho's miniature sun and looked around again. The sun didn't seem to be providing any additional illumination to our surroundings, not even right next to it. Then I looked down, and I saw that I did not seem to have a shadow.

Utsuho had made the same discovery. "Unyu? What's going on?"

"Light seems to behave differently here," I said. "If the illumination is even light in the first place. We should not assume that things here work the way we're used to them working. You can get rid of your sun, by the way."

Utsuho did so. "I think it's getting late," she said. "Should we start looking anyways or stay here for the night?"

I considered the options. I didn't need sleep yet, and Utsuho likely did not, either. However, we were in an unfamiliar realm with unknown dangers, and there was a good chance we'd be fighting an opponent of unknown but substantial power. It would still be at least a few more days before I needed sleep-I didn't know exactly how long, as I'd never tested to see just how long I could go without sleep-and my abilities should be unaffected. But in a situation such as ours, one should take as few chances as possible. "Let's rest here."

"Okay. Um, shouldn't one of us stay awake, though? You know, in case someone or something finds us? That's how they always do it in stories."

I did a test. Yes, I could sense the land here as usual. "It's not an issue. My connection with the land seems to be working properly. If anyone approaches us, I'll know, and I'll awaken."

"Hey, that's cool. I didn't know you could do that."

"I probably couldn't when you last saw me. My powers have changed since then. I don't know how it happened or what they were before, but I am certain that they have changed."

"Oh. I didn't know that could happen."

"Apparently it can."

"Yeah. But what if they come over the river?"

"The mist has sufficient water for me to do the same thing with it," I said. "If they come above the river, I will know through the mist."

"Oh. Okay, then. I'm going to sleep. Good night!" Utsuho found a place to lie down and did so, myself following suit.

We would rest here tonight. Tomorrow, we would begin our search for a shinigami or Yama, and if we ended up having to fight, then we would do just that.

* * *

**Yeah, I really hope nobody expected Orphan to make it to the mountain so easily. And now it seems that she and Utsuho are in a bit of a situation.**

**Also, I know that recent chapters have been fairly short, but that should be changing.**

**And, of course, reviews are appreciated.**


	15. Chapter 15: The Other Side

**Chapter 15  
**_The Other Side_

"The demons have split up," Wriggle said. "Nochai and Ketaa are on their own again. They're going to keep Orphan under observation while the others return to Makai and report."

"Which group should we go after?" Cirno asked.

"We can split up and take both," Rumia said. "The groups are of two and three, right?"

"Right," Wriggle said. "And going by their performance in the battle, any one of us could take either group."

"I'm staying with Rumia," Cirno said.

"In that case, you two go for the trio. I'll handle the pair staying behind."

"Sure," Rumia said. "Um, we don't know where to go, though."

"We can just have Wriggle tell us which way," Cirno said.

"That way," Wriggle said, pointing. "They're going pretty quickly, so you'll need to move fast yourselves in order to catch them. If they change course, I'll use a swarm of insects to redirect you. Don't worry about taking them alive; just take them out. The leader's one of my pair, and he's the one we'll want alive."

"Got it," Rumia said. "Come on, Cirno, let's move!"

The two of them flew off in the direction Wriggle had indicated, followed by Daiyousei. "Cirno, wait! Wait up!"

"I guess she's worried about Cirno," Wriggle said as she and Mystia began moving themselves. Tewi went after Cirno and Rumia, saying that she'd already seen Wriggle's new power in action and now she wanted to see that of the other two.

"And I'm worried about you," Mystia said. "And besides, didn't we say we were just going to take a look?"

"I think all of us knew that we'd end up getting involved."

"But why?"

"I would assume that Cirno, Rumia, and myself each have our own reasons," Wriggle said. "I can't speak for them, but as for me, well…"

"You want to help," Mystia said. "Gensokyo may be in danger, and you want to help."

"Yes. I've always been weak; you know that. I couldn't do much. I could barely even protect myself. I just had to hope that any problems were dealt with by others. I couldn't do much, no matter how hard I tried, but I just went along with it, just passed it off as the way things were. It took a threat to you for me to realize that I was wrong. I don't have to be helpless. I don't have to just sit back and let others handle things now, and I'm not going to. If there's a threat to us, to any of us, I can face it now. And what we face now seems to be a threat to Gensokyo. Our home. And I'm not going to just stay back and let others handle the problems. Not anymore."

* * *

Neither group put up much of a fight; clearly, the battle against Orphan and Utsuho had taken its toll on them. Cirno and Rumia had taken out their targets, although one of the demons had done something first, likely somehow sending some sort of message to another demon. But their targets were down, so they, along with Daiyousei and Tewi, were heading to Wriggle's location, directed by Wriggle's insects.

Wriggle had killed the demon named Ketaa, and was now facing the incapacitated leader, Mystia standing beside her. "Okay," Wriggle said, "start talking. Why do you want Orphan dead?"

Nochai just laughed. "Do you really think I'm going to tell you anything?"

"Not without some… encouragement."

"I suppose you're right," Nochai said. "Anyone can be made to talk. So perhaps it's best that I ensure you have nobody to question."

"Don't think you can escape," Wriggle said.

"Oh, I've figured out that I can't get away from you. And I can't hope to beat you, either. So…" Nochai began an odd chant, and his eyes started to glow.

"I don't know what you're up to," Wriggle said, "but don't expect it to- ah!"

Nochai exploded.

* * *

Wriggle and Mystia were sitting near the Sanzu River, and Cirno's group was on their way.

The pair just sat in silence for a few minutes. "Okay," Mystia said, "um, what the hell did that thing do?"

"It… it must have been some sort of suicide spell," Wriggle said. "Probably something set up ahead of time as a last resort, for use in case of capture. And set up to be done fairly quickly; that chanting probably just activated a spell that was already ready. I think that was a special force, and Nochai in particular likely knew things that Makai really doesn't want their enemy-us-to know. So they provided him with a last-ditch safety measure, a way to keep the information safe if he fell into enemy hands."

"And he did, so he used it, and it…"

"Yeah," Wriggle said. Then she got to her feet and turned to meet Cirno's group as they landed in front of her. "Hi."

"Hi," Tewi said. "Um, I thought you were going to keep the leader alive. Where is he?"

"Um… um, he… well, he killed himself. Pre-prepared suicide enchantment."

"Oh," Rumia said. "Wait, what?"

"He must have known something important, then," Tewi said.

Wriggle nodded. "Yeah, we think so, too. But now we can't find out what it was."

"Actually," Tewi said, "we might just be able to. Remember, these demons were out to kill Orphan, and indications are that Orphan is someone important from the mountain. We may be able to learn more from someone there. Although if I'm there, we run the risk of Aya accusing us of all kinds of crazy shit."

"I'm not worried about her," Wriggle said. "Let's wait until tomorrow, though, since it's getting late."

"Yeah," Cirno said, "let's head back to my place. You coming, Tewi?"

The rabbit shook her head. "Nah. Taking a break from all the crazy was nice, but I shouldn't be away from Eientei for too long. There's no telling what might happen next. I'll meet you tomorrow morning, though; I'm curious about all this myself."

"'Kay," Cirno said. "See you in the morning."

* * *

The night had been uneventful, and as Netese had said, the caravan had gotten going first thing in the morning. They'd been underway for several hours, and were now in Tonall.

A demon came into the room Shanghai had been given. "Lady Netese would like me to inform you that we've rendezvoused with Lady Nekiei's group. She's explaining the plan to Nekiei, and she requests your presence."

"Sure,' Shanghai said. She followed the demon out of the carriage and over to Netese's, entering into the same room she'd previously met Netese in. This time, there was another demon present.

"I have brought her as requested," the messenger said. He bowed, then exited.

"Ah, Shanghai," Netese said. "Have a seat." Shanghai did so. "Nolaria, this is Shanghai, the one I was talking about. Shanghai, allow me to introduce Nolaria Nekiei."

"Osira here tells me that you're the one who'll be luring Alice in," Nekiei said. "I have to say, it's quite a pleasure to meet you."

[_They seem quite familiar with each other,_] Alice noted.

"Likewise," Shanghai said. "You're the one who's going to kill Alice. I'm very pleased to meet you."

"Oh, I'm just leading the attack," Nekiei said. "There's no telling who'll actually get the killing blow."

"You're the one who's going to do it," Netese said. "You are going to be using our 'special method', remember?"

"Yeah, but you should always expect the worst. Besides, do you really think she won't be able to counter it?"

"We have altered it from Shinki's form. It will work."

"Well, maybe, but maybe not. Obviously, I'm hoping you're right-and I'll be very surprised if you aren't-but I do want to be ready. That's why I brought such a large force, you know." Nekiei turned to Shanghai. "Anyways, there are a couple things I'd like to discuss with you, Shanghai."

"By all means," the doll replied.

"Okay, so first of all, you told Osira that Alice's portal will open in Mekis. I assume that means the portal's location is fixed. Is this correct?"

"As far as I know. Alice can't make a portal like that herself, so she has to be using a spellcard."

"Ah, I see. We must try to take this spellcard, then. Having a second entrance to Gensokyo would be most helpful. Where does the portal open there?"

"Outside of Alice's home."

"Ah, of course. That's good, I think. A good second location. Anyways, on to the second thing. Alice has been bringing dolls to life now. Do you know how many she has?"

"At least seven," Shanghai said. "The link she used to do it existed initially on myself and seven others, the first dolls of her seven model types-and she has modified them as she's made refinements to the models, so don't think they'll be easier opponents just because they were made early on. Alice may have brought others to life, but I don't know for sure."

"Okay. And how many do you think will accompany her?"

"Three or four. Copenhagen and Hourai were built for physical and magical combat, respectively, and Holland was built for durability and defense. I'm certain those three will be present. London, the scout model, may or may not be there; she was built for speed, not combat, but I expect that she could still put up a fight-and speed, of course, can be quite useful in battle. I don't expect to see the other three, though. Moscow's designed for espionage and would be of little use in an actual fight, and the other two are labor models. So it's only those first four I'd expect to see, although if she's brought any more of those models to life, they'll probably come along as well."

"In addition to numerous non-living dolls, of course."

"Of course, although again, I'd expect to see only those first four models, and even then, only a few of the London model, if any."

"Yes. And Osira here tells me that you yourself will be unable to assist us in battle?"

"Most likely. But I want to be there when she dies."

"Yes, Osira filled me in, and I understand completely. As long as you're sure Alice can't turn you against us, it's just fine with me."

"I'm sure."

"Good. Okay, so on to the plan, which is really pretty simple. We'll position ourselves-concealed, of course-to encircle the arrival point. Once Alice comes through, we close the appropriate side in to get my people between her and the portal's location in order to prevent her from escaping through it. Then I come out and do my thing, and Alice is dealt with if it works, although we'd still have her living dolls to deal with, though I doubt that'll be a problem. And if it doesn't work, of course, we'll just have to take her out the old-fashioned way."

"I'll make sure I'm nearby and visible," Shanghai said. "She'll be expecting to find me anyways, and since she'll come to me, we'll know what direction she'll head in after exiting the portal, making it easier to get between her and it."

"Good idea. Now, then, you're certain that she will take time to prepare before coming through?" Shanghai nodded. "Well, in that case, go ahead and do your thing, then meet me outside." Nekiei got to her feet. "I'm going to get the troops mobilized."

* * *

Higan was, in a word, consistent. There was absolutely no variation, just the same seemingly endless expanse as far as the eye could see. Aside from the river, of course, which Utsuho and I continued to move along. We were looking for a shinigami, someone who ferries the souls of the dead across the river, so remaining by the river was a necessity, for obvious reasons.

"Man," Utsuho said, "what is it with this place? Why's it so big if there's nothing here?"

"Perhaps it's simply larger than what is needed for Hell," I said. "However, I think it's more likely that it's simply due to the properties of this realm. We already know that certain things work differently here; who's to say that this seemingly endless expanse isn't simply a result of that?"

"I still don't like it. It's boring."

"Well, then let's hope we find someone-okay, that's a bit of an eerie coincidence. Look, there's someone over there. Come on. And remember: no matter what happens, do not attack unless I say so."

* * *

"I'm here," Tewi said as she entered Cirno's house. "We ready to go?"

"I think so," Rumia said. "Have you been to the mountain before, Tewi?"

"No."

"Then it's only Cirno who has," Wriggle said.

"She's been there?"

"There's a lot of frogs there," Cirno said. "I'd always go freeze 'em, although that frog-lady likes to attack me when I do. Although I haven't seen her in a while. Although I guess I haven't been there in a while. Although-"

"We get it," Mystia said. "Now, are we going or not?"

"We'll head to the mountain shrine," Wriggle said. "If anyone knows who Orphan is, it'll be the mountain god. Come on, let's get moving."

* * *

The woman looked up as Utsuho and I approached. "What the-"

We landed in front of her. "Greetings," I said.

"You're not dead. How did you get here?"

"You probably won't believe it, but we flew over the river. Or I did, at least; my companion couldn't fly at all while above it, so I had to carry her."

"And you shouldn't have been able to, either."

"I couldn't, really. I kept more of it than my companion, but I was still unable to maintain my altitude."

"Right. Okay, um, there's a lot I could get into about that, but I think I'll go with: why did you want to cross the river?"

"We did not," I said. "We were attacked, and when our attackers realized that we were winning the battle, they drove us over the river, obviously intending to use it to kill us. And they were able to fly over it without any problems, by the way."

"Yeah, and that's impossible, too. Only shinigami and the Yama can fly above the river."

"Does that hold true for those from Makai?" I asked. "Because it was demons that attacked us."

"Yes, it hold true for demons. And it should hold true for you, too. You could not have escaped the river's curse, not even to the extent you claim to have. Although you shouldn't be here anyways. You should never have been here, not even in death. But you are here, and that much I can't deny. Man, and today was looking like an easy day, too."

"You are a shinigami, I take it?"

"Yes. Komachi Onozuka. And you?"

"I am Orphan,' I said, "and my companion is Utsuho. We desire only to leave this realm and return to Gensokyo, but we do not seem able to do so."

"Can't get around that, huh?"

"Correct. But shinigami can, so we decided to find one."

"And you found me. Great. Man, I'm glad I don't actually have to decide anything here even if you are telling the truth. Sorry, ladies, but I can't help you. I can get myself back across, but that's it. You try riding along in the ol' boat here, and you'll find yourselves in the river. Only the Yama can get someone else across. So, thankfully, whatever's going on with you two isn't my problem."

"Then I must ask you where we can find a Yama."

"If you have to ask," Komachi said, "you can't get in. You can't see any of it, can you?"

"Yeah," Utsuho said, "all we see is a whole lot of nothing. It's really boring. You should get some stuff in here."

Komachi chuckled. "There's actually quite a lot here. You just can't perceive it, 'cause you're still alive. Only the dead, as well as shinigami and the Yama-we perceive as both the living and the dead do-can. The path to the place of judgment, where the Yama waits, is clear, and the dead can't stray from it. But you can't even see it, so you cannot get there."

"Then I must ask you to carry a message to the Yama," I said. "Surely the Yama could come to us."

Komachi laughed again. "Yeah, um, sorry, lady, but not happening. Hell, how do I know that it's not something about her that's why you came here in the first place? I have no reason to believe you, you know."

"Then allow the Yama to judge our story."

"Yeah, no. Sorry, but even if I did believe you, I really don't have time for this. The boss'll have my ass if I waste any more time. I'm her shinigami, and she's not going to be happy if I screw around again. So as much as I hate to say it, I have to get back to what the hell are you doing?"

I had interposed myself between Komachi and her little boat. "Preventing you from leaving," I said. "I'm sorry, but we need to speak to the Yama."

"What're you gonna do, fight me? You don't exactly have a lot of room to work, you know. You can't even enter the place."

"Then the Yama will have to come here."

"Yeah, and you can't really make me go get her."

"I believe I can."

"Yeah? Sorry, but even if you fight me and win, you can't get in."

"If we cannot go to her, then we must have her come to us, whether you're willing to bring her or not. If you refuse to bring her here, then you'll have to be forced to."

"Not happening. And if you fight me, well, she'll know. I'm her shinigami; she'll know if I'm being attacked."

I would assume that Komachi hoped this would intimidate me into backing down, but as far as I was concerned, it was actually good news. "I would doubt that she'd abandon you. If she knows that you are under attack, then would she not come to your aid?"

"Oh, shit," Komachi said, "please don't tell me you're serious."

I formed my weapon. "I am. Utsuho, stay out of this, please. I will handle this fight myself."

Um, okay," the hell raven said, "if you're sure."

"I am." I took a step towards Komachi. "You might want to draw your own weapon."

Komachi did so, taking her scythe in her hands. "Come on, lady, please don't do this."

"If you refuse to get the Yama, then I'm afraid I must."

I attacked.

* * *

Nekiei's force was about to depart when a messenger landed. "Lady Netese! Oh, and Lady Nekiei, too? And who's that?" The messenger indicated Shanghai."

"She's going to help us kill Alice Margatroid," Netese said. "Now, I assume you have a message for me."

The messenger nodded. "Yes. I'm attached to Lady Malachi. An observer came through last night with a message from some special force. Malachi communicated the message to Lord Tokekei, then sent me to deliver it to you."

"And what is the message?"

"This is the message." The messenger's voice changed. "Message begin: 'This is Oseka, a member of the special team headed by Nochai. The target was accompanied by an extremely powerful bodyguard whom we were unable to defeat. We tried to force them into the Sanzu, but they somehow made it across. We have confirmed that they're stuck, but they are still alive. Nochai and Ketaa remained to observe, while the other three of us were sent to report. We are currently under attack by unknown individuals; the other two are buying me time to flee, but these enemies are fast, and escape may not be possible-shit, one of them's already after me. Um, I was at… right. I am sending this message in the-shit, that was close!-quite likely event that I do not survive. Oseka, out.' End message." The messenger's voice returned to normal. "Any return message?"

"No," Netese said. "I'll be going there myself. Nekiei, I wasn't going to accompany you on the Alice mission, anyways, so nothing changes there. I'll figure out what to do about Orphan."

"Is she really that dangerous?" Shanghai asked.

"She could be a significant problem. I know who and what she is, and she could potentially undo the work we've done dividing Gensokyo."

"I see."

"You don't need to worry about her," Netese said. "You all just go ahead with the plan against Alice."

"Understood," Nekiei said. "Shanghai, are you sure Alice isn't going to be suspicious about you being in distress for hours?"

"No," Shanghai said. "I'm going with a general distress and call for help, not anything that gives a sense of immediate danger. She'll come, don't worry."

"I see. In that case, I think it's about time we got moving."

* * *

I ducked underneath Komachi's scythe and attempted to strike her with my own weapon, but she ducked to the side and took another swing at me. I managed to block it, although only barely, and attacked again, but Komachi blocked it.

Komachi should have been at a disadvantage in this battle, as a scythe was a poor weapon for this sort of fight. And she was following my lead in not attacking with whatever power she had. At first, I found this odd, seeing as how she had seemed so against the idea of fighting me, but once the battle started, I could tell that she was enjoying it.

Komachi wasn't using her powers to attack, but she was, I was certain, using them. The disadvantage her weapon of choice gave her was countered by… well, by whatever she was doing. The speed at which she moved it seemed to change frequently and instantaneously. She could attack, then move her scythe into a blocking position faster than should have been possible. It was obvious that she couldn't mess with the laws of motion-other than the inconsistent speed, her scythe behaved exactly as it should have-but she was clearly doing something. It almost seemed like- _Wait, of course! She has power over distance! That's how shinigami can cross the river! But then why couldn't they take others back with-_

Komachi attacked while I was distracted by my realization. I barely avoided her strike, and she pressed the attack relentlessly, forcing me onto the defensive. And then…

"What do you think you're doing? Komachi!"

The look on Komachi's face could best be described as 'oh, shit'. She backed away from me quickly. "Shiki! I-I-I-I-I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't want to fight, but she just-"

"No excuses!"

This was not the reaction I had expected. I was the one who attacked, and yet it was Komachi who was being blamed. "Do not get angry with her," I said. "I am the one who attacked her. She did not want to fight me."

"Oh?" The speaker-Shiki, Komachi had called her-came into view and landed in front of me. "And who might you be?"

I examined Shiki, who was presumably a Yama. She certainly looked suitably impressive. "I am Orphan," I said. I motioned Utsuho over. "My companion here is Utsuho."

"I am Shikieiki Yamaxanadu, highest judge of Hell, and the one you attacked is my shinigami. And there's also the fact that you're here while alive. And you're not human, either. So I must ask that you explain yourself."

"I apologize for attacking Komachi," I said. "I did so only because I had to. Neither of us wanted a battle."

"I think Komachi, at least, found it quite enjoyable."

That much I couldn't argue with. "I got the same impression. Anyways, allow me to begin with how Utsuho and I came to be here while alive." I gave her the same explanation I gave Komachi.

"We will address the truthfulness of this account shortly. For now, please continue."

"Certainly. Utsuho and I decided to find a shinigami in hopes that such an individual could get us back across the river. We found Komachi, here, who told us that only a Yama could do such a thing. And since it would seem that the living cannot perceive much within this realm, we were unable to go to you, so I asked Komachi to bring you to us. She refused, insisting that she had to return to her work."

"So you challenged her to draw me out."

"I hoped the battle might do such a thing, but my initial intent was to simply defeat her in order to get her to bring you to us. There was no malicious intent, and I regret that a fight was necessary."

"I see. Let us turn to the truthfulness of this account. What you described happening to Utsuho is supposed to happen to anyone who passes above the river aside from shinigami or a Yama. The partial resistance you described on your part is not supposed to be possible, and neither is the complete immunity these 'demons' supposedly displayed."

"So you don't believe me."

"Actually, given all that, I'm inclined to think you are telling the truth, at least as you believe it. Nobody would try to use something that far outside the realm of possibility as a deception. I think you're probably wrong about what all happened, but I do not believe you to be lying. That being said, however, I'm afraid that it doesn't really matter too much at the moment. Shinigami and the Yama aside, none may cross from Higan back to the realm of the living."

"I see," I said. "Well, that may not be the answer I was hoping for, but I suppose it's not surprising, and I believe that I understand your position. The fact remains, however, that Utsuho and I are determined to return to the realm of the living."

"You did manage to enter in a manner that is not supposed to be possible, so I suppose it is also possible that you will find a means of exit. I cannot help you, though."

"I doubt that such a way exists," I said.

"At this point, it is your only option."

"Not quite. Utsuho? Engage."

* * *

_I am Eiki Shiki._

_I am a Yama, a judge of the dead. In fact, I am Yamaxanadu, highest of the Yama and effective ruler of Hell. I say 'effective' because there is little here for a ruler to do. Hell is a place of residence only for Yama and the shinigami. The souls of the dead may reside here for a time, yes, but in the end, they are all judged, and they then move on. Acts of ruling are effectively unneeded._

_The title of Yamaxanadu is not, however, a mere formality. As Yamaxanadu, I hold authority over all the other Yama. Decisions of policy and procedure are up to me, and it is I who selects new Yama when necessary. It is also my right to overturn the judgment of any other Yama. The need for this is quite rare, but it does happen. Even a Yama's decisions can be subject to subjective influences. One reason I was selected as Yamaxanadu is because of my extreme determination to avoid such a thing myself._

_There is such a thing as true, objective justice-we Yama are proof of that-and although it may sound somewhat clichéd, it is the duty of the Yama to uphold this justice. In the end, however, we are still people, and even a Yama can fall. I was chosen as Yamaxanadu because I have, during my time as Yama, shown not just an unshaking devotion to that duty, but also the restraint to keep that devotion under control (there have been Yama who have taken such a devotion too far). Consistency is also a part of it; I have shown not just that I have devotion and restraint, but also that I will remain that way. Nothing I have seen in my millennia of life has shaken my beliefs, and I've seen things in my time as Yama that you couldn't imagine._

_As Yamaxanadu, it is also my role to make policy, procedure, and other decisions. It was I, for example, who made the decision to relocate Hell to a separate realm. But the necessity for such decisions is extremely rare. Most of my time is spent doing the same thing as any other Yama: judging the souls of the dead that are brought before me. And it is, of course, the shinigami who bring the souls of the dead across the river to Hell. Each Yama has her own shinigami; Komachi is mine._

_Contrary to the belief of many, one is not born a shinigami or a Yama. They are positions that one is selected for. Becoming one, however, entails more than just assuming the role. Our existence is different than that of others; our duties necessitate that we exist simultaneously in the realms of both the living and the dead. Our beings are distinct from those of other youkai and of humans; becoming a shinigami or Yama requires leaving behind what one used to be._

_The positions of shinigami and Yama are not permanent; the changes to one's being are irreversible, but one can resign the position, or lose it for various reasons. And though rare, the latter does sometimes happen; in fact, my previous shinigami was such a case. He was engaging in forbidden activities, so he was banished from Higan; I believe he eventually took up residence in Makai._

_Some of the others think I should replace Komachi as my shinigami, but I have no intentions of doing so. While it's true that Komachi is a slacker, she is also quite excellent at her job; despite her lazing around, she still manages to get just as much done as any other shinigami. I do sometimes need to keep a fairly close eye on her, but I feel that the tradeoff is worth it._

_There are dealings with some in the realm of the living. I do sometimes have business with those in power there, usually gods, although I also find myself dealing with Yukari Yakumo sometimes. And Yuyuko Saigyouji as well, of course; as the ruler of the netherworld, her position and mine are strongly related. But in general, what happens in the realm of the living is not my concern as a Yama, but as a person, I can't help but be concerned by the events that seem to be taking place there. Still, interfering is forbidden, even for me; I may make the rules, but that does not give me the right to break them. I will certainly take any action I can, but that will, unfortunately, be very little._

* * *

Utsuho channeled the force of a nuclear blast to blast herself forward, slamming into Shiki and carrying the Yama a fairly good distance away from the river. A good move; this way, she could fight without having to worry about staying away from it.

I followed them, of course, as did Komachi. Once we caught up to them, Komachi immediately moved to assist Shiki, only to be knocked to the ground by a large chunk of earth. "Out of my way," she said as I landed in front of her.

"Sorry," I said, "but I'd rather not have my companion forced to take you both on simultaneously. I'm afraid you'll have to deal with me."

"Good enough for me. I don't know what you're up to, but it won't succeed." She took hold of her scythe again. "I'll admit that I enjoyed our little match, but this time, do not expect me to hold back."

"Indeed," I said. "This fight is for real."

"Then take this!" Komachi swung her scythe, sending a blade of energy at me. I leapt to the side and retaliated with a blast of earth energy. Komachi, however, avoided it fairly easily. In fact, she ended up a good distance away.

Komachi's distance ability did indeed make her a dangerous opponent, but thanks to our previous fight, I had already seen it in action, and I had at least some idea of how it worked. Distance seemed to be all that she could manipulate; the laws of motion still held. Sure, she could alter distance such that, say, her scythe moved through the course of a swing quickly even if the slash was slow, but its speed would still be low. She couldn't use it to land a decent blow against me, as if she did, her strike would not have much momentum behind it and would be pretty much ineffective. Her power was more useful defensively; momentum wasn't necessary to block an attack, and distance is what matters most when trying to evade. I did expect her to use it to get her blasts to me more quickly, but she didn't, and thus presumably couldn't. Maybe there's something about energy that's different, that prevents her distance manipulation from working on it-although I wouldn't know what that might be, of course.

Komachi remained in the path of my next blast. "Ritual of Ecstasy!"

I was expecting something that would counter my blast. I was not expecting to find my and Komachi's positions switched, and in my surprise, I failed to evade and was hit by my own attack. Except that I wasn't; it didn't do anything to me. The attack Komachi had taken advantage of my confusion to launch, however, did.

I didn't know why it was that my blast didn't harm me. Maybe it somehow recognized me as its source, but that seemed… weird, somehow. _But I guess most things in Gensokyo are a bit strange._ But at the moment, the why didn't really matter.

Komachi closed the distance between us quickly-I assumed she'd simply shortened it-and came at me with an overhead swing of her scythe. "Narrow Confines of Avici!"

I sidestepped the strike, and Komachi's scythe struck the ground. I moved in to take advantage of this, but then a large column of violet light shot up from the ground, both of us within it. Komachi seemed able to move freely within it, but my own movement was… well, I could still move freely, but my location didn't change. _This light is more of her distance manipulation._

Komachi sent more blades of energy at me. Being unable to move horizontally, I instead attempted to rise over the blasts. And it worked. _It only affects horizontal movement. Too bad it seems to keep going higher._ And if I rose too high, Komachi could just step in underneath me and attack. _Wait, it came from-_

I dropped quickly to the ground, but I didn't stop there. I didn't create a tunnel into the ground, either. Instead, I allowed myself to pass into the ground. It was a difficult thing to do, and I could only manage it for very short periods, but it was enough. And I found that I was correct; the effect of this 'Narrow Confines of Avici' did not extend into the ground. So I passed beyond its range and emerged behind Komachi, hitting her with a blast at point-blank range.

Komachi should have gone flying a fair distance, and I suppose she technically did, but she manipulated that distance such that she landed within her restricted-movement area. I readied myself for a switch in positions, but Komachi didn't do that, which surprised me; yes, she'd seen that I can escape, but she could still possibly land a hit or two before I could do so if she did it right. _Can she not do it freely?_

I formed chunks of earth and sent them at Komachi. She responded by locking them in place with her distance manipulation and blasting them to pieces. Then she noticed me charging into the field, directly at her. I couldn't reach her, of course, but her distance manipulation didn't seem to work on energy, and I was close enough that she didn't have time to react before my blast hit her dead-on.

As Komachi recovered from the blast, I moved out of the field as I had done before. Although I didn't need to, as it faded away as I emerged from the ground. "An interesting trick," I said.

Komachi made to charge at me again, but broke off as Utsuho tackled Shiki to the ground right between us. Utsuho pushed off into the air as the Yama attacked with an odd beam spread. There was one main beam and several angled to the sides, but too far out to really restrict movement. Not that Utsuho tried to dodge. She aimed her control rod at Shiki. "Mega Flare!"

'Mega Flare' was not similar to Giga Flare, despite the similar names. Mega Flare was simply a huge beam. It met Shiki's main beam and easily overwhelmed it. As this happened, the angled beams closed in, revealing their purpose, that of tricking people into thinking they had more room to dodge and then constricting in an attempt to catch them. Not that it mattered here; Utsuho's attack blew right through the Yama's and straight into her.

That had to've hurt, but Shiki recovered quickly, firing a spray of shots as she took to the air. Komachi dashed in towards me, but I had expected this, and she ran head-on into a hastily-formed wall of earth-I thought I noticed some sort of energy shift as she hit it, but nothing seemed to happen. I then rose a pillar of earth from the ground, sending her into the air, and followed this by dropping a large rock on her. Except that she switched our positions, and being a physical object, I was fully vulnerable to getting hit by it. Which I did.

The connection wasn't hard to make. _She switched right after that energy shift. The switching is different from her regular distance manipulation; she may have to do some sort of channeling, or maybe she needs the aid of something like a spellcard, or-okay, doesn't matter. The energy shift means that she can switch again._ And with that to serve as a warning, I had an idea for how to beat the switching.

Our battle continued, and before long, I felt the energy shift again. _Good. Go time._ Komachi probably didn't realize that I could tell when she could switch again, which was good; she wouldn't expect me to know when she'd do it. I sent rocks at her again, and as I'd hoped, she switched our positions. Expecting this, I dropped below the rocks and opened fire on Komachi. And Komachi was unable to dodge, due to being stuck halfway into the ground.

As I sent the rocks at Komachi, I had passed partway into the ground. When Komachi switched our positions, she ended up stuck in the ground. But she, unlike me, couldn't move through it, and thus was trapped. It didn't take her too long to break free, but by the time she did, I was right in front of her, and I slammed my pole down onto her head. Then I leapt above her and fired straight down. And then I hit her with another rock before landing in front of her.

Komachi stumbled forward, planting her scythe into the ground and using it to steady herself. "Ow."

"You have some interesting tricks," I remarked.

Komachi tried to swing her scythe at me, but ended up falling to the ground. "Damn."

"I'd tell you to go get Shiki now," I said, "but she's already here."

As if to emphasize this, Shiki came crashing into the ground. The two of us turned to look, Komachi picking herself up as she did. Utsuho landed in front of her, aiming her control rod at the Yama. "Man, I don't know what I was so worried about. You're powerful, yeah, but not as powerful as me. I thought Yama were supposed to be unbeatable or something, but yeah, I guess not."

"I'm not finished yet," Shiki said.

I approached her. "Your ally is. You're already losing, and now you'll also have me to contend with. I would recommend admitting defeat, although if you believe you can still win, then go ahead and try."

"No," Shiki said. "I still have a good deal more in me, but you're right; I am losing. So I will admit defeat." She got to her feet.

"Good," I said. "Stand down, Utsuho. You won."

* * *

"So," Shanghai said, "it's Netese who's really in charge, not this 'Tokekei'?"

Nekiei nodded, the two of them flying far enough ahead of the main force to speak without being overheard. "That's right. Netese is the real leader of Makai now."

"Huh. I bet this 'Malachi' person's force'll be surprised by her arrival. Having one's ruler show up unannounced ought to be worth a shock."

"Not that big of one. Netese has spent time with all the existing forces. She is going to be leading our army into Gensokyo, after all."

[_That's some interesting information,_] Alice sent. [_It looks like making 'small talk' has indeed paid off._]

"Hold it," Shanghai said. "That's not the best idea, is it? What happens if she gets killed? There's a reason the leaders don't fight, you know; they have to lead."

"Nekiei's a warrior, not an administrator. Why do you think it's Tokekei in Pandemonium instead of her? Her authority is the highest in Makai, but Tokekei's the one who's actually doing the work of running things; Netese much prefers the role she has now."

"I see. So she's going to be leading the attack against Gensokyo personally, then."

"Yes."

"Huh. So if she prefers a position of military leadership, then why is she the one at the top of the hierarchy? In fact, why rebel at all?"

"I don't know why she joined our little coup, but she ended up in charge because she's very good at the whole 'winning people's support' thing. And I think she's okay with having the authority; it's all the little administrative duties that she doesn't want, so she passed those on to Tokekei."

"I see. And what of Alice? Is she just a scapegoat, or is there more to killing her?"

"Well, I've never liked her all that much, but yeah, she's basically just a scapegoat. Although I think Netese has something personal against her. And yes, it was her decision to use Alice as the scapegoat."

"I see."

"And, of course, we did kill Alice's mother. That can't be something that'd make her all that happy. So yeah, we'd like to see her dead for at least that reason. And I guess it's thanks to you that we've got our chance, isn't it?"

"Yes," Shanghai said, "it is."

* * *

"Shou and Nazrin are in position," Byakuren said as she reentered Alice's house. "The rest of us are ready, too."

"Good," Alice said. "Now all we have to do is wait on Nekiei's team."

"Indeed." Byakuren paused. "Alice, let me ask you something: what is your reason for doing this?"

"Is my mother's death not reason enough?"

"No," Byakuren said, "it's not. A desire for vengeance is understandable, if regrettable. But is vengeance your only motive here?"

Alice thought for a moment. "Well… it is all because of my mother's death, but not in the sense of vengeance. Do you know why I left Makai for Gensokyo?"

"Yes. Shinki wasn't sure how to deal with it; we spoke about your decision in length. She never intended to stop you, but she wasn't sure how to handle the whole situation. She always thought you'd made the right choice."

"Yeah, I know. But yes, I moved to Gensokyo for the experience of another world, one where I wasn't anyone special, where I could experience life as someone ordinary. It's been a valuable experience, but now it has to come to an end. Living in Gensokyo has helped prepare me for this, I think, but now the preparing is done." Alice produced a large tome seemingly from nowhere. "It was as during the farewell ceremony that she gave me this."

"Yes," Byakuren said. "We discussed that, as well. Although I never was very clear on what power the grimoire holds."

"Significant power," Alice said. "I've only used it once-the day I left was… eventful-but that was enough. But there is more to it than just raw power. If I can get to Pandemonium, the center of my mother's power, I, being her daughter, can use this grimoire to alter my being and make myself as she was."

"Oh."

"My ordinary life has come to an end, Byakuren. I must now ascend to my mother's throne."

* * *

**Yeah, so those first scenes with Wriggle probably would've fit better at the end of the last chapter, but whatever.**

**Anyways, I have to say that I'm surprised and dissapointed by the lack of reviews of the last chapter. I was especially hoping for comments on the fight scene, since I always feel like I need to improve on that sort of thing, but, well, it didn't happen. Oh, well. Maybe I'll get some feedback on this chapter's fight scene[/hint]. But any reviews are appreciated.**


	16. Chapter 16: thoughts of Vengeance

**Chapter 16  
**_Questions of Vengeance_

The force landed in the forest. "Find positions," Nekiei ordered. "Shanghai, indicate the portal's location." Shanghai did so, firing a shot at the ground in the spot it would appear. Then she took her position, where she would be waiting for Alice. "Good. That's where Alice will appear, and she'll head straight for Shanghai. Position yourselves such that she won't be able to see you."

* * *

"The enemy is in position," Alice said. "We'll wait for a bit, then head in."

* * *

I would like to know more about you," Shiki said. "There may be something that would explain how you were able to cross the Sanzu."

"Unfortunately," I said, the memory loss issue makes that somewhat problematic. Hmm… well, first of all, is it true that only shinigami and Yama can cross the river?"

"Almost. Yuyuko Saigyouji cannot actually cross the river, but she can effectively do so, as she is able to travel between here and the netherworld freely. There are also the curse gods who placed the curse upon the river; it's their power that prevents others from crossing, so of course they can cross-although not even they could get back out. But none of them have gone missing."

"And what about this enemy force?" Komachi asked. "How did they move above the river?"

"Your boat can ferry people across," I said. "Is that something any such thing could do, or is there something special about the boat of a shinigami?"

It was Shiki who answered. "Charms are placed upon the boats when they are made. These charms are extremely specific, in order to prevent others from using them to cross. And even without that, they cannot be placed upon living beings. Or dead ones, for that matter."

"And nobody's tried to find a way to adapt these charms?"

Shiki was silent for a moment. "I have to admit that right now, I feel fairly stupid for not having thought of that."

"Um, boss," Komachi said, "what are you talking about?"

"Komachi, how much do you know of my previous shinigami, the one I selected you to replace?"

"Nochai? Not much. Just that he did something bad and got kicked out because of it. Well, that, and I also heard that he ended up going to Makai."

"He may be involved. The reason he was removed from his position is because he was trying to do exactly what Orphan just suggested. He was trying to adapt the charms for more general use-and no, I do not know why. I think, though, that it was less about the charms themselves and more about the concept of the border of life and death."

"You probably should have kept better track of him," I said, "if you were so concerned about what he was doing."

"It was thought that what he was attempting was impossible. It's not just a matter of creating an appropriate charm; the charms were actually built into the curse as it was placed, something that only the curse gods could do, and only those charms can protect from it. Altering the charms would result in them no longer being recognized by the curse."

"And general curse nullification wouldn't have helped?"

Shiki nodded. "We were… thorough. And this is no ordinary curse, either. It was specially crafted by the curse gods themselves. I suppose one could compare it to the difference between, say, water magic and the powers of a god of the water. Its nature is too different for anyone but the curse gods to affect."

"Well, it would seem that this 'Nochai' found something that worked."

"Yes. But we can set that aside for now. This is something for us to deal with; it is not your problem."

"If he's working with Makai now," I said, "it might be."

"Ah, yes, the demon attacks. I believe that a full assault from Makai is imminent."

"That's the impression I'm getting as well. And I have been told that I may be the only one who can unite Gensokyo against this threat."

"I see," Shiki said. "Yes, you did mention memory loss."

"It happened five years ago," I said. "I awoke in a forest in the outside world with no memory, and was there until finding my way to Gensokyo a few days ago."

"I see. And now you are searching for your identity."

"I've been doing that for the past five years. It is my search that led me to Gensokyo. And though I've been in Gensokyo only a short time, I seem to have made significant progress. I've been directed to the Moriya Shrine; apparently, the god there knows who I am."

"The Moriya Shri- wait, and five years ago. That… are you-"

"Um, boss?"

"Not now, Komachi." Shiki faced me again. "This is… who told you to go to the shrine?"

"Satori Komeiji," I said. "She apparently knows little besides my name, and I do not want to know that until I know the rest of who I am. So she directed me to the shrine, and sent Utsuho here with me as a guard, as she feared I might be attacked on my way there-which, of course, I was."

"Yes, she would know to send you there." Shiki paused, then bowed to me. "It seems I owe you an apology. I did not know who you were, but that does not excuse the disrespect I have shown you. And I apologize on Komachi's behalf, as well."

_Um._ This was an interesting development. It had already seemed that I was someone fairly important, but even so, I would not have expected the ruler of Hell to react in this manner. Neither, it seemed, did Utsuho. "Unyu?"

"Woah," Komachi said, clearly just as stunned as Utsuho and I. "Okay, um, boss, what's going on here?"

"That can wait," Shiki. "She has said that she does not want to know her name yet, and I will respect that. She has been shown enough disrespect already."

"It's not a concern," I said. "It would have been nice to avoid the battle, but I understand why you acted as you did."

"A battle would have happened regardless," Shiki said. "Even knowing who you are, I would still have to give you the same answer. Being the one who makes the rules here does not exempt me from following them. It would, however, have been a more formal battle, probably a danmaku contest. Less dangerous and less disrespectful than the battle we ended up having."

"I see. How much do you know about me?"

"Not a lot," Shiki admitted. "When you disappeared, a certain god paid me an official visit-it happens rarely, but there is a mechanism in place for such a thing. She was worried that you had died, and came to me to learn if you had. She provided me with your name and description-although I see that your appearance has changed since then, though I think you may still be somewhat recognizable. I also needed to know your kind, human or youkai, and if youkai, what type. So she told me, and knowing what you were, I was able to confirm that you had not died."

"So you know what I am, but not much about who I am?"

"That is correct. Would you like at least that much information?"

I thought about it. "No, I don't think so. If that's all you could tell me, then I will wait until the shrine and learn it all at once."

"Understood. In that case-"

"Hey, Eiki!"

The four of us turned towards the new voice. I didn't recognize the woman flying towards us, and I don't think Utsuho did, either, but Shiki and Komachi seemed to. Shiki stepped forward. "Lady Yuyuko."

"Who's that?" Utsuho asked.

Shiki turned back to us. "Ah, yes, introductions. Lady Yuyuko, this is Utsuho Reuji, and this is Orphan. Orphan, Utsuho, allow me to introduce Yuyuko Saigyouji, the ruler of the netherworld.

"Oh, come on, Eiki," Yuyuko said, "don't be so formal all the time."

"There will be time for friendly relations later. I am currently engaged in business."

"Oh?" Yuyuko looked at us. "Oh, that's why I'm here, too. I felt a feeling. Something messed-up messed up something. A screwy life-and-death thing. I didn't know what it was, but these two are alive. That has to be it, right?"

"Most likely."

"Okay. How'd they get here?"

"They crossed the river while alive," Shiki said, "and I think I may have figured out how, too. If you wish to know more, please wait for me in the usual spot, and I'll tell you everything you wish to know once my business with these two is concluded."

"Oh, okay," Yuyuko said. "Try not to keep me waiting too long, okay?"

"I apologize for her behavior," Shiki said as Yuyuko flew off.

"It's not a problem," I said. "She did seem to be an… interesting individual. So she is able to come here at will?"

"Yes. She is actually the ruler of the netherworld, as little as she acts like it."

"I see."

"So you truly do not know who you are, then. Despite being… no, you said you wanted to wait on that information."

I nodded. "I do. Of course, I'll need to get back to Gensokyo first. You can return me there, correct?"

"Yes. Ordinarily, it's not something I would do even after losing a battle, but given the circumstances-some of which you are not yet aware of-I believe that allowing you to return is the proper action. I think the situation-especially the fact of what you are and the fact that your being here at all is in a sense my responsibility, since it was my former shinigami who attacked you-warrants an exception. Come with me; I will open the way back."

* * *

_I guess I have to be serious for a bit, here, don't I? Well, fine. My name is Yuyuko Saigyouji, and my story really has two beginnings._

_It began before my birth. I was conceived beneath the Saigyou Ayakashi. My parents didn't know what it was, as it appeared to be simply an enormous cherry tree. They never knew what it really was, not even when it killed them._

_From the moment I was born, I had an unusual connection to death and the dead. My parents thought it was simply a power I had as others have their own powers, but that did not change their concern for me. And I suppose it's understandable that my behavior caused concern. I spent a good deal of time in cemeteries, for example, apparently preferring the company of the dead to that of the living._

_It was in my thirteenth year of life that I began to realize that my connection to death came from the Saigyou Ayakashi. I could feel… something between it and myself. I'm not sure how to describe it. There was a link there, but I didn't know what it was. I began spending more time there, attempting to figure this out._

_On one of my visits, I accidentally stumbled upon my parents doing something beneath the Saigyou Ayakashi. I didn't know what it was, but it was what prompted them to explain about sex, which of course is the act they were engaged in. I was told that beneath the tree was one of their favorite 'private spots', and then I realized what the connection was. I asked them if the time they'd made me had been beneath the tree, and they said that it probably had._

_Being conceived beneath the Saigyou Ayakashi, I had been close enough that a link formed between us. And as time went on, I began to realize the nature of the link, and of the tree itself. I realized that the tree contained death._

_The tree was the reason I had a connection to death, but there was more to the link than that. The Saigyou Ayakashi was sealed within the form of the tree, and it was using me to break the seal. And I learned this because my condition became frail. The tree was drawing on my life, intending to use it to break the seal. I fought against it as best I could, but I could tell that I was losing. Slowly, but I was losing._

_My parents didn't want me to be alone, so they began bringing people to our home for me to meet. I didn't really like them, but my parents didn't give up. And eventually, I did meet someone. I was fifteen when we met, him being a few years older. We got along well from the start, and as time went on, we came to love each other. I believe he intended to marry me-I understand it's unusual these days for a woman to be married so young, but this was thousands of years ago, and it was normal back then._

_I knew how much he loved me, and I loved him just as much. But we couldn't be together, I knew that much. The Saigyou Ayakashi was going to kill me. But I didn't tell him this. I didn't know what he'd think if he knew I was linked to the tree of death. But then something happened._

_I don't remember what it was about; it was just another ordinary overly-dramatic teenage-girl-disagreeing-with-her-parents fight. But then something happened. Something came from me, and my parents died. I didn't know what I had done, but then I realized that it wasn't truly me that did it. My link with the Saigyou Ayakashi connected me to death, and gave me the power to kill. It was the tree's fault, not mine._

_The man I loved came to visit later that day. He didn't know that anything had happened, and I didn't tell him. But I did tell him something. I told him goodbye._

_I didn't know who would die next; it might even be him. And I didn't know how many would die if the seal on the Saigyou Ayakashi was broken. But I knew that I didn't want the tree to break free, and I knew that I didn't want to live as what the link had made me. So I told him goodbye, then went to the tree. I told him that I was going to die._

_I pushed what remained of my life through the link, but not into the tree itself. I used my life to reinforce the seal, to ensure that the tree could not break free. But doing so, of course, cost me my life. Which brings us to the second beginning, that of my existence as a ghost._

_As a ghost, I knew that I had been alive, but I couldn't remember much of it. All I had were general impressions. But I didn't care. As I would later learn, I was much more carefree as a ghost than I had ever been while alive. Not remembering much about my life simply wasn't important. But then he showed up._

_It turns out that the man I loved was devastated by losing me, and found himself unable to go on without me. So he came to me. But he did not kill himself. This man made his way into the netherworld while still alive._

_By this time, I had been approached by the Yamaxanadu-not Shiki; her predecessor. See, my connection to death remained with me as a ghost. I am no longer connected to the tree, but the power that connection gave me remained. And because of it, I was actually able to manipulate the netherworld, to alter it. Which, the Yamaxanadu told me, was supposed to be impossible. But she then told me that this ability made me uniquely qualified to take a position as the netherworld's ruler._

_I was already the ruler of the netherworld when he arrived. Seeing the man brought back memories, caused me to recall some-but not all-of my life. It was my time with him that I recalled, and my feelings for him. But we were of separate worlds now, and he couldn't simply die and come to mine. There was no guarantee that he would even become a ghost; most do not. And even if he did, there was no telling how long he would remain as one before passing on to the next life. I am the only ghost who will never pass to the next life; my connection to death ties me to the netherworld and keeps me here, another reason I'm uniquely qualified to rule over it._

_He could not die to be with me, but if he remained in the netherworld while alive, it would be only a few days before he died, as the living cannot remain here for very long. But he wanted to be with me, no matter what. And as it happened, there was a way._

_He knew that he could never 'have' me physically, but that didn't matter to him; he just wanted to remain with me. I knew I couldn't simply abuse my position to keep him with me, but I was able to take him in as my servant. And to allow him to remain in the netherworld, I changed him. He could remain, but only by ceasing to be truly human. I placed the essence of the dead within him, making him the first half-ghost of the Konpaku line._

_This change had the additional effect of greatly extending his life, but he did still die eventually. However, his descendents continue to serve me in his place, his half-ghost nature carrying on through his line. They do so not out of any loyalty to him, but because they believe me to be someone worth serving. In fact, my current servant, Youmu, has developed feelings for me similar to her ancestor's-while, I will we mind you, were emotional, not physical._

_Anyways, there was another incident with the Saigyou Ayakashi. See, although killing myself severed my link with it, it was still brought into the netherworld with me. But I didn't remember what it was. Eventually, though, I got curious because of the fact that it never bloomed, so I investigated. And I felt the presence of someone within it, some person. And, of course, I also felt the seal, but I didn't know why it was there or what it contained. So I decided to break it._

_I had Youmu go into Gensokyo and gather the essence of spring, which I then gave to the tree. This, as it turns out, extended Gensokyo's winter, which drew in a trio of individuals to take the spring back. But by the time they arrived, I had enough. Or so I thought. The seal didn't actually break; it simply reverted to the state it had been in before I killed myself, and the person I felt within it turned out to be me. It was at that time that I remembered what the tree was and what I had done. Fortunately, the seal hadn't fully broken, so I just put my life right back into it and then gave Gensokyo back its spring._

_Good, the serious stuff is done. I don't like being like that. Sure, I take my duties as ruler of the netherworld seriously, but that doesn't meant I have to be all serious about it, right? What would that get me, anyways? It's just so boring to be serious all the time. Yes, I'll do my duties, but why shouldn't I enjoy myself while I do, huh?_

_I don't know what's going on in Gensokyo right now, but it's not really my concern. If it ever reaches that point, sure, I'll do something, but that's not my realm. The netherworld is, and so that's where I'm staying._

* * *

The portal opened, and four people came through it. They fanned out and approached Shanghai. "Copenhagen," Shanghai said. "Hourai. Holland. London. Where is she?"

"Right behind us," Holland said. And she indeed was.

Alice emerged from the portal and went straight over to Shanghai. "Shanghai. I didn't think I'd see you again."

"Just shut up," Shanghai said. "I don't want to hear it."

"Then why did you call me here?"

"Because I had to," Shanghai said. "There's trouble, and you're the only one I could think of who could help."

"It must be something major to get you to resort to asking me for help. I thought you hated me."

Nekiei stepped out of her concealment. "She does. The problem she wants help with is you still being alive. Ah-ah-ah," she added as Alice took a step backwards, "no running. You, um, might want to look behind you."

"No need," Alice said. "You've got people between me and the portal. Surely you didn't think I'd fall for Shanghai's trick."

"You already have," Nekiei said. "Emerge!" At her signal, the demons of her force emerged from their concealment. "You're not escaping, and you're not winning this fight. You're going to die, Alice Margatroid."

"No, she's not," Alice said. And then three things happened at the same time. First, 'Alice' started shimmering, and her form changed. Second, another Alice emerged from the portal surrounded by dolls, the portal closing behind her. The new Alice tore through the surprised demons that thought they were blocking her escape. And third, the living dolls leapt into action against the nearest targets.

'Alice' laughed as she completed her change. "Sorry," Nue said, "but I'm not Alice. You've, um, kinda been tricked."

"Not really," Nekiei said. "You still lose. Second wave, attack!" More demons came out of hiding. "I'm well aware that our setup was suspicious. I was quite prepared for you to see through it."

"Yeah? Well, guess what? We're ready for you, so bring it on!"

* * *

"Okay," Wriggle said, "here we are. The shrine's just at the top, right?"

"Right," Cirno said. They and the others were at the base of Youkai Mountain, ready to begin the ascent.

"Cirno," Rumia said, "you won't be immediately attacked by the 'frog-lady', will you? Because we're here for information, not a fight. So don't start one, either. Meaning no freezing frogs."

"Oh, fine. Come on, let's go." Cirno led the way up the mountain, Rumia close behind. Daiyousei and Tewi followed them, and Wriggle and Mystia brought up the rear, far enough back that they could talk without being overheard.

"Wriggle," Mystia said, "what if this is really nasty? What if there's more danger?"

"I'm not backing down, Mystia," Wriggle said. "I told you; I'm not going to do that anymore."

"I know," Mystia said. "I just don't like it. I don't like having to watch while you risk yourself, Wriggle. I… Wriggle, I want to fight with you."

"Mystia, you can't. You're…"

"Weak," Mystia said. "I know. But you were weak, too. Now you're not. You can fight now, and I want to fight with you."

"I can't let you do that, Mystia," Wriggle said. "I… I would love to have you at my side, fighting with me, but if you try to fight…"

"They'll kill me. I know. I'm like you were, too weak to actually fight. But you found power."

"I claimed power that was rightfully mine to begin with. I doubt you have any such thing."

"I don't, and it's driving me crazy. I… Wriggle, I can't just sit back and watch you risk yourself!"

"But you don't have the… power… to… Mystia."

"Huh?"

"I have an idea," Wriggle said.

* * *

Nue impaled a demon on her trident. She swung it around, using the demon to block an incoming blast from a second one. Nue then pulled her trident out and blasted the demon herself, sending it flying into the second demon. She sent UFO familiars at them and turned her attention elsewhere.

A demon grabbed hold of Ichirin, then quickly dropped her as he evaded a punch from Unzan. Ichirin opened fire, but the demon evaded. And then he got an anchor to the back of the head, courtesy of Murasa.

Holland leapt into the path of a blast aimed at Hourai and raised her shield to block it. Hourai leapt above Holland and launched a counterattack. The demon tried to move, only to find Copenhagen holding him in place. And as Hourai's blast hit, London came shooting down with a kick to the head before quickly rising back into the air.

Alice ducked under a sword strike and punched the attacking demon in the face. Another one came in behind her, only to be swarmed by Copenhagen dolls. The first demon formed a ball of energy and threw it at Alice, who moved Holland dolls in to block it. A third demon tried to intervene, only to find itself occupied fending off a horde of weak but troublesome and hard-to-hit London dolls as Alice combined with Hourai dolls to blast the first one.

"This isn't what I understood the plan to be," Shanghai remarked. She and Nekiei had drawn back and were watching the battle.

"That fake Alice changed things," Nekiei said. "I couldn't hit Alice with the special trick when she wasn't there, you know. Then she brought her help in, so I called out our second team and the battle began. I'll move in against Alice when I have a good shot, but I wouldn't be surprised if she came at me first. After all, I am one of those responsible for killing her mother."

"Yeah, but would she know that?"

"Wouldn't surprise me. And you said she had spies, right? Osira mentioned something like that."

"Moscow is the only one I know of, and I think that only started recently. I'm not sure how many of your little group she's identified."

"Well, if she doesn't come to me, then I'll move in. Don't worry, Shanghai; she won't live through this."

Nue touched down near where the portal formed. She had her trident stuck through the dead body of a demon, and was using said body as a club. She smacked away a demon that leapt at her and sent a UFO after it, then swung to the side and hit another. A small group of demons came up from behind her, one of them taking hold of her. Nue couldn't break loose, so she shrunk herself and ducked away before returning to normal size. Then she flung the impaled body free from her trident, sending it into the demon.

More demons landed in front of Nue. "Man, there's a lot of you guys. You just don't give up, do you?"

"You talk tough," one of the demons said, "but do you really think you can take all of us?"

The demon got blasted from behind by several UFOs. "Yeah," Nue said, "so come on!"

Alice sent a group of Copenhagen dolls ahead of her, knocking a pair of demons out of the way. Hourai dolls fired behind her as she moved away from the main battle.

"See?" Nekiei said. "Here she comes."

"I'll let you handle her, then. I'd rather not get knocked out; I want to actually see this."

"I know. Just leave her to me."

* * *

"Okay," Cirno said, "why are we stopping here?"

"I'm trying something," Wriggle said. "We'll continue on afterwards."

"And what exactly are you doing?"

"Mystia wants to fight, too," Wriggle said.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Mystia," Rumia said. "Remember, the three of us are a lot more powerful now."

"I know," Mystia said, "but Wriggle thinks she has a way around that particular problem. We ready, Wriggle?"

The insect youkai nodded. "Let's do it."

Cirno raised her hand. "Um, question: what are you doing?"

"I believe it's possible for me to lend a portion of my power to another. I am going to attempt it with Mystia."

"You can do that?" Tewi said.

"I know it's possible," Wriggle said. "I know what I can and cannot do, although I don't necessarily know what I can do until then. I know it'll work, but I don't know if it'll work."

"That didn't make any sense."

"She's tried to explain it," Mystia said, "but she can't figure out how to."

"Um, right."

"Remember, Mystia," Wriggle said, "this will be my power, not yours. Your own abilities won't be enhanced, unless you count having more raw power to draw on when using them."

"So my night-blinding won't be improved," Mystia said. "I doubt I'd be doing much of that, anyways. It's the raw power that I need in order to fight."

"You'll need to practice in order to determine what you can do with the power I'm giving you, but I should be able to help you with that. You ready?"

"Yeah. Do it."

Wriggle nodded. Her spear appeared in the air, and she moved the tip across both of her hands, drawing blood. Mystia held out her hands, and Wriggle did the same thing to her. Then the two of them clasped their hands together.

The two of them rose a few inches off the ground, and Wriggle began to glow with a green light. Then the glow began to spread slowly into Mystia. "I can feel it working," Wriggle said. "Mystia?"

"."

"Woah," Cirno said, "is she okay?" Mystia nodded. "Oh."

"!"

The glow faded. Wriggle landed gently on the ground, but Mystia fell flat on her face. "Ow."

Wriggle helped Mystia up. "It worked."

Mystia nodded. "Yeah. It feels like… well, now I understand how hard it is for you to explain what gaining power was like. I don't have the expanded awareness you have, but the power… yeah, I can feel it."

"You shouldn't have any new abilities. All you have gained from this is raw power, but that's what you needed. When we get a chance, we'll practice, get you a feel for its use."

"Yeah. Um, how long will this last for?"

"As long as I want it to. I can recall the power to myself at any time, but unless I do, it should remain within you."

"Okay. Um, this doesn't make you too weak, does it?"

"No. I only gave you a fairly small amount. Relatively, at least; I'm still amazed by how powerful I am now. And I think I still haven't realized what all I'm capable of now."

"Even though you know what you can do?"

"Even though I know what I can do."

"That still doesn't make sense," Tewi said

* * *

I don't know what Shiki did, but Utsuho and I found ourselves back in Gensokyo. "There," Shiki said.

"Thank you," I said, "and I am sorry to trouble you."

"Do not worry about it. It was due to circumstances beyond your control. Now, you were bound for a certain destination, were you not?"

I nodded. "Yes. The shrine atop the mountain. I was told that I can learn who I am there."

"And that is correct. But I think you already know that there will be more to come after you do."

"It seems likely. Satori said and I may be able to unite Gensokyo against the demons, and given that they just tried to kill me, it seems that they may share that belief."

"They are correct," Shiki said. "You are able to unite Gensokyo against them. The question is whether or not you will."

She had a point. I'd only been in Gensokyo for a few days; was I really ready to take such drastic action in its defense? But I already knew the answer. "I may only have arrived here a few days ago, but there are fragments of my memory present. I may not remember my life here, but I know that I belong here. I know that Gensokyo is my home. So I will do everything I can to protect it."

* * *

Nekiei had kept her distance from the battle, which was just fine by Alice; this way, she wouldn't have to worry about the other demons while battling their leader. _And she told them to leave me to her, anyways._

Nekiei came forward as Alice approached. "Well, hello there. You must be Alice."

"You're responsible for my mother's death."

"Oh, not really. I only came up with the means; I had little to do with the plan's execution. Maorol is the one who landed the killing blow, although I understand that Malachi did most of the actual work."

"Maybe so, but they were just help. The ones truly responsible are you and Netese. She's the one who led the usurpation, I understand. She's the one who decided to kill my mother, and you're the one who told her how. Both of you are going to pay for it. Although I think I'll be having a… meeting with this 'Maorol', as well."

"You know," Nekiei said, "I never really thought you were the type for pure vengeance."

"This isn't only about vengeance."

"Oh? You know, even if you manage to kill Netese, you're not exactly going to throw us into chaos."

"I'm well aware that your leadership structure would survive her loss. I imagine her position as leader would pass to Tokekei. But that is not my goal."

Nekiei laughed. "What are you going to do, assault Pandaemonium? You'd die within a minute."

"I think you underestimate me."

"Oh, not really. Not that we'll find out, of course. I mean, hell, the whole point of this little operation here is to kill you."

"And you think you can? My side seems to be winning."

"Oh, I'll fix that. After I've dealt with you, of course."

"And just what makes you think you can do that?" Alice asked, despite already knowing the likely answer.

"Oh, not much. Just a little trick I picked up from your dear mother." A coin-like object adorned with various symbols appeared in her hand. "I don't suppose you know what this is, do you?"

"An amulet, presumably sensitized to my mother's energy. An attempt to take some of her power."

"Oh, very good. You're right. We made quite a few of these. None of us have figured out how to ascend to your mother's state of being yet, so none of us actually has her power, but these do the trick. This variety in particular is quite useful. They are, sadly, limited in number, as they're a bit trickier to make then the other types-we actually had to draw on your mother's remaining essence to make these, so what we have now is the entire supply. So I guess you should really feel honored that I'm going to use it; we aren't exactly wasting these."

"As I thought," Alice said. "You're going to attempt to use my mother's command over her creations to control me. Well, sorry, but I'm not precisely normal in that regard. I'm not just a creation of hers, not in the sense that you are. Yes, she made use of her power to conceive me, but I was born like any other. All she did was eliminate the need for a male. I am truly her daughter, and as one-the only one-who shares her blood, I think you'll find that she didn't have such power over me."

Nekiei gave another laugh. "You don't really think that didn't occur to us, did you?" She spoke a word, and the amulet flew at Alice. Alice brought in a Holland doll to intercept it, but it simply veered around the doll and hit Alice, seeming to melt partway into her skin. "Sorry, dear," Nekiei said, "but those don't just have your mother's essence. That amulet has a little of my essence, too. That's how the power knows I'm the one control is given to, but it also has the quite convenient effect of altering things a bit. Not much, but I don't think your mother's blood is going to protect you from it."

Before Alice could reply, the pain began, and she fell to her knees. "!"

"Don't fight it," Nekiei said. "I think you know that's futile."

"Don't… think… you've… won."

"Oh? Yeah, you've got some capable allies, but that won't be enough. Especially not when you turn against them."

"That… won't… happen."

Nekiei was about to reply when there was another scream of pain. But this one came from behind her. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to see Shanghai fall to the ground, screaming. "What the hell?"

Alice stood up. "There is a link between us."

Nekiei faced Alice again. "What the hell?"

"The process I use to bring my dolls to life results in there being a link between me and them. I'm sending the magic of your little amulet through that link." She grasped the amulet and pulled, but it refused to come off. "Well, that much I expected."

"How long can you maintain the transfer, Alice? Because you won't be removing that thing any time soon."

"Long enough." In fact, Alice herself wasn't doing anything at all. Shanghai was the one doing it. She was, through the link, fighting the control in Alice's place, preventing Alice from being affected by it. Not that either of them planned to tell Nekiei that. "I can remove it. Sure, maybe you've added your own essence to it, but it is my mother's that gives it its power, and I can remove my mother's essence from it. It'll take a little time, but that just means I'll have to kill you first. And now that I think about it, that might be enough on its own to remove the thing, since you have your essence in it as well."

"Not just me," Nekiei said. "Your side may have been winning the battle, but now you have me to deal with. Which means you're out of that particular fight. Can your allies continue to win without you?"

* * *

"It's time, Byakuren," Nogales said. "Get in there."

* * *

"Shit!" Netese exclaimed as the portal opened again. "Don't tell me you're a fake, too?"

Alice laughed. "What? You think only I can open that portal? It's a spellcard, and I gave the card to another before coming here."

"You're right," Nekiei admitted as Byakuren exited the portal, which closed behind her. "That was dumb of me. It's still not a problem, though. It just means that I'll have to intervene once I'm done with you."

"You won't win." The grimoire appeared in front of Alice. "Do you know what this is?"

"A magic tome, from the looks of- wait, is that-"

"My mother gave this to me upon my departure," Alice said. "I've only used it once before, so I'll admit that my knowledge of its spells is rather limited, but fortunately, it comes with a way to fix that."

The grimoire opened to the first page, and the text on that page began to glow. As it did, Alice's eyes seemed to flash, and if someone was able to look closely enough, they'd see that the flash was actually the glowing text appearing briefly on Alice's eyes. The age turned, showing more glowing text, and Alice's eyes flashed again. As the pages began to turn faster and faster, the flashes seemed to meld together into a constant glow.

Nekiei launched a large sphere of energy at Alice, but Alice moved in a group of Holland dolls to block it. Then some Hourai dolls opened fire, forcing Nekiei to evade as she returned fire.

When the Grimoire reached the last page, it closed and vanished. "Time's up," Alice said. "My turn."

The ground turned red, and a wave of flame swept quickly across it. Nekiei leapt into the air to avoid it, only to find that a ceiling of fire had formed above her, one that had a similar wave sweeping over it. Nekiei made her way between the two waves, but this distracted her from the shots Alice was firing, and she got hit. Alice ended the spell and immediately followed up with another. Ice shot out of the ground, sending Nekiei into the air. Alice then sent out five violet orbs, which immediately began firing bolts of electricity. Nekiei managed to avoid this one, dropping underneath the blasts. And then Alice took a hit.

Alice bounced back up to see Nekiei surrounded by orbs that looked exactly like the ones she'd used. And the blasts they fired confirmed her suspicions. _She's copying my spell!_ "You're a mimic."

"I am," Nekiei said. "What are you going to do ab-shit!" Nekiei evaded as ice crashed down from above her. Then she was hit by a sudden and extremely strong gust of wind from behind, which sent her right into the ice.

Nekiei mimicked the wind, attempting to blow Alice into the ice. Alice, however, expected this, and covered herself in a barrier of flame. She flew through the ice, putting her momentum into a kick to Nekiei's chest.

A human would have been killed, but Nekiei was a youkai, and she recovered fairly quickly. Alice formed more orbs and sent them spinning around Nekiei in varying orbits. Beams connected the orbs as they spun, requiring evasion, and if Nekiei moved out of the encirclement, they moved along with her.

Alice sent out another blast of wind, attempting to knock Nekiei into the beams, but Nekiei countered with a gale of her own from the opposite direction, canceling Alice's out. Alice cut hers off, but Nekiei stopped hers at the exact same time. "Did you really think I couldn't mirror you perfectly? I am a mimic, you-"

The orbs disappeared at the exact same time as a large chunk of earth hit Nekiei on the head. Alice created a gust of wind to blast herself forward, tackling her and throwing her downwards, where a group of hammer-wielding Copenhagen dolls was waiting. They hit her back up to a diving Alice, who grabbed her and slammed her into the ground.

"It's called a distraction," Alice said, standing over Nekiei. "You know, I really don't think you were the right choice to come after me. I think Netese underestimated me if she thought you could take me. Although I guess she probably did, since I've only used the grimoire's power once before. I wouldn't be surprised if she failed to take that into account."

"It… doesn't… matter," Nekiei said. "You won't… be… getting out of… this." She managed to send a flash of light into the air, signaling a third group of demons, who'd been hanging back, to rush towards the battle. "You still… lose."

"Oh? You might want to double-check that."

Nekiei looked towards her approaching third group. As the group passed between a pair of crystal trees, the trees suddenly opened fire, tearing into the demon group with lasers. And as they did, the illusion faded. "What… the hell?"

"Simple," Alice said. "They've been there the entire time. I happen to have a few very handy little objects called Seeds of Non-Identification. You and your force expected to find only the crystal trees of the forest when you arrived here, so crystal trees are what you saw when laying eyes upon those two who have seeds attached."

"Oh… yeah? And are you… sure… that just those two… will be… enough?"

"I'm in the battle again, as well, since you've been dealt with. I will, of course, be restraining you, and I'll have some questions for you once the battle's done."

"I won't… tell you anything," Nekiei said. "And know this: you may have… bested me, but Netese is… far more powerful. Don't think you can defeat her."

Nekiei began chanting, but was interrupted by a kick to the chest from Alice. "Let's not be trying anything."

"Too late," Nekiei said. "Only the first words matter. The rest is… just to make people think they stopped it in time. It means 'fuck you'."

Nekiei exploded.

* * *

"Okay, Wriggle," Cirno said, "why are we stopping this time?"

"Change of plans," Wriggle said. "Orphan just entered my range, and she's on her way to the mountain. I'd assume her destination is the shrine, and I don't know if we should get ourselves involved with whatever will happen when she arrives. Let's just hold back, and I'll observe what happens."

"The cautious approach," Rumia said. "I see."

"Right," Mystia said, "let's find a good place to wait, then. Maybe somewhere that'd be a good place for me to get some practice in."

"I've already found a spot," Wriggle said. "Follow me."

"Mystia has power now, too," Daiyousei said. "I'm really beginning to feel left out."

"You could always ask Wriggle to do the same thing for you," Tewi said.

"No way. I'm perfectly happy staying out of the fight."

"I see. Well, come on. I think they'll leave us behind if we don't get moving."

* * *

A demon narrowly avoided a laser from Shou, only for Nazrin to slam her in the head with a dowsing rod. Two more moved in, and Shou attacked them with more lasers. The demons attempted to evade, but Shou's favorite trick wasn't limited to danmaku, and she curved the lasers into her targets. They weren't particularly strong blasts, but they did give Nazrin an opening to apply metal rod to head.

Byakuren took hold of a demon that was charging at her and tossed it over her shoulder. Another came at her from behind, but she interrupted his charge with a punch to the face. She took hold of it by the arm and threw it into a demon group. Then she turned back to the first one, driving her elbow into its chest before landing a kick to its head.

Copenhagen swung a giant hammer into a demon, sending it flying. She changed her weapon into a spear and threw it at the demon, impaling its arm. Murasa dove in and smacked the demon with her anchor, sending it back a Copenhagen. Copenhagen formed a hammer again, and the pair began hitting the demon back and forth.

Alice finished off the last of the demons attacking her, then examined the battlefield. _Just a few of them left. I think it's safe to say that we've won this fight._

* * *

I bid farewell to Utsuho when we reached the mountain, and began my ascent. I didn't remain alone for long, though. Soon after beginning my ascent, I was approached by yet another woman with a hairstyle that was distinctive even for Gensokyo, although in this case, it was a deliberate stylistic choice; she had her green hair tied in front of her.

"So it's true," the woman said. "You have returned."

I nodded. "You know who I am, then."

"I do, but I suspect you would rather hear that from the god of the Moriya shrine. She knows more about you than any other."

"Then yes," I said, "she's who I would like to speak to. Can you take me to her, um…"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Sorry. I am the curse god Hina. You are going by the name 'Orphan', correct?"

"I am. Anyways, Hina, could you take me to this god?"

"Yes," Hina said after a brief hesitation, "but, well, I don't think she'd be very happy with me."

_So I'll have to fight my way in, then._ "So you're going to try and stop me."

Hina laughed. "Oh, no, and not just because I know you'd defeat me. She may be the ruling god on this mountain, but I am not under her command. Only one has the right to command me, and she wants something different."

"Which is?"

"Well, what do you want?"

"As previously stated," I said, "I want to proceed up the mountain."

"That is what she wants."

"So I can proceed unimpeded?"

"I will not try to stop you," Hina said. "You may-"

"Who's this?"

Hina and I turned to face the newcomer, a blue-haired woman that Hina seemed to recognize. "Laqara. What do you want?"

"Nothing from you," Laqara said. "I just made a delivery to the human village, and now I have to get up to the shrine."

"Convenient," I said. "My name is Orphan, and I am also headed for the shrine. Can you-"

"No time for requests," Laqara said. "Can't be a guide today. Takes too long, and I'm running late. Bye!" She flew off.

"What was that about?" I asked Hina.

"That was Laqara," Hina said, "a kappa. I guess she has business at the shrine, too. A shame she wasn't willing to take you there."

"It's not hard to find, as I understand," I said. "It's just at the top of the mountain, right?"

"Right," Hina said. "And, Orphan?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful. I suspect that the god will attack you when you get there. I don't think she'll take a final strike against you, but you'll be in danger while any battle is ongoing."

"Another told me much the same thing," I said. "I think I understand why she's likely to attack me, although I'll need to meet her before I can say for sure. But I assure you, I am quite ready to fight her if I must."

"Good," Hina said. "Get going, then. And good luck, Orphan."

* * *

Alice helped Shanghai up. As she'd predicted, the amulet had fallen off upon Nekiei's death, but fighting its effects had taken its toll on Shanghai. "I'm sorry to make you do that," Alice said. "Are you all right?"

"I'm… fine."

Byakuren and her group approached. "The battle's done. A few ran, but the rest have been taken out."

"The runners are dead," Alice said. "My children have been dealing with them. If any escaped, they did so unseen."

"I… don't think that was necessary."

"The less information Netese gets about what happened here, the better. If all she knows is that she never heard from her force, she can't know how we beat them. It'll leave her in the dark as to my capabilities. And, of course, there's the fact that any of them we kill is one less they'll have for the attack on Gensokyo."

"…True," Byakuren said, "but I still don't like it. And what of Nekiei? I thought you intended to leave her alive."

"I did. She had a suicide spell prepared."

"Oh."

"We won't be able to get information from her as I'd hoped," Alice said, "and in addition, I'm pretty sure that losing her will not set Netese back too much. She wasn't a hugely capable fighter, and I doubt she'd be used as a commander in the attack. That's probably another reason Netese chose her to come against me."

"We'll have to hope that Orphan can act fast, then," Byakuren said, "because if we haven't bought any time, then we probably don't have much time left."

* * *

**OOC: Yes, I had Yuyuko show up just so I could do a backstory for her. I got the idea for it from the song 'Love you to Death' by Kamelot (find it on YouTube if you aren't familiar with it), and decided that I wanted to include it, so I did.**

**Anyways, get your final theories about Orphan's identity in now, because in the next chapter, it will be revealed.**


	17. Chapter 17: Faith

**Chapter 17  
**_Faith_

The kappa Laqara watched the mountain god depart her shrine and make her way down the mountain. _Looks like she knows._

Laqara waited until the god was out of sight, then emerged from the bushes and entered the shrine, whose remaining occupant was waiting. "Laqara."

Laqara bowed. "I am here."

"So, 'Orphan' has arrived at the mountain."

Laqara nodded. "She has. I saw her myself. Um…"

"Yes, I'm sure about this."

"Forgive me," Laqara said. "It's just that… well…"

"I understand."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I don't see any other choice. We need her-the real her."

"Yes, I suppose we do," Laqara said. "I'm curious, though: why me? I understand why you aren't doing it yourself, but why did you choose me? I'm not the best fighter on the mountain, you know."

"Perhaps not, but you're close. And more importantly, you are the best magic-user on the mountain, and this must be done with magic."

"Ah, of course."

"Just remember the most important part, Laqara: do not hold back. You… you have to…"

"I know," Laqara said. "I have to fight to kill."

* * *

"We need to find Orphan," Byakuren said. The group had returned to Gensokyo, and Byakuren's followers had returned to the temple, only Byakuren herself remaining with Alice.

"No need," Alice said. "I dispatched London dolls towards the mountain before we sprung our trap. They've already returned, and they saw Orphan. She's heading to the right place."

"I see," Byakuren said. "In that case, I think it best that we wait. We may be short on time, but this is not something we should interfere with."

"Agreed," Alice said. "We'll head up the mountain tomorrow."

* * *

"They're on a collision course," Wriggle said.

"Do you think they'll fight?" Tewi asked.

"Yes."

* * *

I proceeded up the mountain, and before long, I ran into another person, someone who looked similar to Laqara. _Another kappa, probably._ "Hello, there," I said.

"Holy shit!" the kappa exclaimed. "It's actually true!"

"Apparently," I said. "I-"

The kappa, apparently, felt it at the same time I did. "Oh, shit, she's coming!" And with that, he sped away.

There was no doubt as to who was approaching. It had to be the mountain's god. And as she drew near, I saw that she certainly looked suitably impressive. The metallic… things on her back were odd, but they actually fit pretty well with the overall image. _The shimenewa's a nice touch, too._

"It's true," the god said as she landed. "You do look like her."

"I would say that it's nice to meet you," I said, "but I understand that you already know me."

"You're not her. You can't be her. She's dead. I saw it happen."

_There's definitely rage there, but it looks like she's holding it back for now. Still, it looks like Satori and Hina were right._ "I did not die, but I did end up in the outside world with no memory. I was told that by coming here, I would be able to learn who I am."

"Who you are? No. You're not her. She's dead. She's dead! And now you show up here, wearing her face!"

"I do not know what happened," I said, "but I am not-"

"Silence! You dare show yourself here and pretend to be her? I suffered because of her death, and now you would bring it all back? Would have me suffer more?"

"Why are you so sure I'm not her?"

"I…" She hesitated. "I saw it. I saw it happen. She died for me, do you understand that? It happened because of me!"

_She blames herself. She must have buried her feelings, but now that I'm here, it's all coming out, and I'm the cause, so I get to be the target now instead of her._ "I'm not dead."

"Because you're not her. You're just a mockery of her. So I'll give you one last chance: if you leave and never return, I won't kill you."

_And the anger comes out in full._ "I did not come this far to back down," I said. "I came to learn who I am."

"You're a fake! A mockery of her! And you will pay for her death!"

"I did not come here to fight, but if you insist on battle, then I will not back down."

"You would stand against me? I am a god! What makes you think you can survive against me?"

"I have faith in myself."

She laughed. "Faith? You would lecture me on faith? You know nothing of it!" The wind picked up as she rose into the air. "I will show you the power of faith!"

I struck first, forming a large chunk of earth over her head and dropping it on her. She summoned an immensely strong gust of wind above her, sending the rock towards me. I broke it up before it reached me and sent the fragments at her. She called up another gust of wind, but the fragments were too small for her wind to control them as she had with the big one, so she simply blew them aside.

I sent a storm of earth fragments at her from all sides. She called up a whirlwind around herself, deflecting the shards. And then she got wet. One may not expect being hit by water to hurt, but one would be wrong. Water is strong, and when properly concentrated, it can hit just as hard as the earth I'd been using. I formed the water directly above my opponent. Clearly not expecting it, she was unable to evade, and the blow knocked her to the ground, breaking her concentration and causing her whirlwind to dissipate.

She picked herself up. "What the hell?"

"My power has changed," I said. "I know that much. Don't think you know my abilities."

"I… I know them," she said. "You have her power. First you wear that form, and now you copy… how dare you? You would make a mockery of her?"

Yes, Eirin had said my change in power was likely a copy of another's. "I do not know whose power I copied, but it was not intentional. I would assume it's connected to whatever happened to-"

"Silence!" She formed blades of wind and sent them at me. I raised a wall of earth to block them, then sensed the water approaching behind me. I took to the air to avoid the deluge she had summoned, and she rose in pursuit.

* * *

"Okay," Cirno said, "clouds don't normally form that fast, right?"

"It's her doing," Wriggle said. "She's a god of the sky, and she's angry. I don't think this will give her any advantage in battle, but it certainly adds an effect."

"What about lightning?" Cirno asked. "Can't she use that?"

"I doubt it," Tewi said. "Lightning is an electrical phenomenon, and I don't think her domain encompasses that."

"She can use the water, though," Rumia said.

"So can Orphan," Wriggle replied.

* * *

I raised a chunk of earth at her from below. She evaded, of course, but I had expected this. The earth broke into several smaller pieces, one of which did indeed connect. I took control of the other pieces, sending them all into her.

She used a gust of wind to send herself towards me. I formed an earthen barrier in front of myself, but another gust of wind pushed her over it, and she hit me with a blast of concentrated wind energy as she passed overhead.

I hit the ground hard. I fired shots blindly as a distraction while I recovered, but she wasn't occupied for long. She called a torrent of water down from the skies at me. I passed into the ground, emerging after the water had passed.

She landed again. "How did you do that?"

"I told you. My power has changed since we last saw each other."

"Don't give me that. Power isn't enough to do what you just did. It is her being that allows it, not just her power. How did you do it?"

"I know only that I can."

"No, you can't! The only other who even might be able to is dead!"

It was easy to deduce that she was referring to who I really was. "I am not dead."

"You're not her! She's dead, and you're about to be!"

I leapt out of the way just in time, and a strange pillar crashed into the ground where I'd been standing. _What the hell? How did she do that? How's a pillar related to the-wait._

I realized that aside from its size, the pillar was virtually identical to the objects on her back. _Some sort of divine item she possesses._

I moved again, narrowly avoiding another pillar's impact. I used the earth under it to knock it into the air, where it collided with an approaching third one, and at the same time, I hit the first one into her.

She surrounded herself with swirling blades of wind and charged. I met her head-on, and at the last second, formed a spherical barrier of earth around myself. She smashed directly into it, which when combined with the blades was enough to shatter it, but it had served its purpose. My charge continued, and I slammed into her, taking hold of her and throwing her to the ground.

She rebounded quickly, blasting back into the air and forming a whirlwind around herself. I encased myself in earth and charged right through it, slamming into her from below. As the wind dissipated, she sent another pillar at me. I moved very slightly to the side, grabbed hold of it, and flew downwards with it, swinging around and channeling its momentum to spin around and throw it back at her.

* * *

"Orphan just gave her opponent a big stone pillar to the face,' Wriggle said. "That can't feel good."

"Man," Daiyousei said, "just how much of a beating can those two take?"

"A big one, I guess," Mystia said. "They've been going at it for, what, almost an hour now?"

"They're not at my level," Wriggle said, "but their power is still quite significant."

"One's a god," Tewi said. "That's to be expected."

"I think they're both gods," Cirno said.

"Then it's to be expected from both of them."

"Ouch," Wriggle said. "Orphan just got knocked face-first through a bunch of trees."

"But she's still fighting."

Wriggle nodded. "I don't think this one's ever going to give up."

* * *

She fired a blast of wind energy at me. I erected a barrier of earth to block it, simultaneously forming several large rocks and sending them at her. Her blast destroyed my wall, but I wasn't there. I had passed inside one of the rocks, and I emerged and tackled my surprised opponent as the rocks came in.

She raised a barrier of wind at the last second, deflecting the rocks. I took hold of her to toss her into the ground, but she constricted her barrier of wind into me, catching me off-guard. Then one of her pillars struck me dead-on, and I was the one who fell to the ground.

I picked myself up, and something came to me. Not much; just a word. That sense of familiarity had been strong through the entire battle, but only now had it produced something. Just one thing. One word. A name, but not mine. Hers. I knew, somehow, that it was her name. "Kanako!"

I rocketed upwards, weaving around the blades of wind she sent at me. She summoned a torrent of water from above. I moved to evade, but a second torrent was coming at me, blocking my evasion. I almost dove downwards, intending to shelter myself within the ground, but then the realization hit me. _She's not-_

I let the water engulf me, but it did not harm me. I quickly gathered as much of it as I could and sent it back at my opponent. Kanako was caught completely off-guard, and didn't even have a chance to dodge before it hit her. And I was right behind it, grabbing her and once more tossing her into the ground.

I landed in front of Kanako as she got to her feet. "How… how did you do that? How did you take the water from my control?"

"It was not under your control," I said. "You commanded the torrent to come, and it did. As a god, the water obeyed your command, but you never took direct control over it. I doubt I could have overridden your commands with just commands of my own, but I was able to control it directly in the absence of such control from you."

"That's not possible," Kanako said. "My command should suppress any control another has."

"Kanako," I said, "I remember your name now. You're… you were important to me, I think. Please, don't make me fight you any longer."

Kanako's anger had faded; the battle had given her a chance to let it out. "You… are you really her?"

"You know the answer to that," I said. "You knew it the whole time, I think, but you were too angry to accept it."

"No. No, I wasn't angry with you."

"I never said it was directed at me. You blamed yourself for my supposed death, didn't you?"

"I… yes, I did. Even after I had Suwako check with the Yama to see if you'd arrived in Higan, I still thought you had to be dead. You… you vanished upon taking a hit that was meant for me."

That explained much. "You thought it was your fault that I had to do so, so you blamed yourself."

"I thought I'd dealt with my feelings, but…"

"But I came back, and the anger you had suppressed resurfaced. And became directed at me. That's why you attacked."

"I… yes, you're right. But you won the battle. I… I shouldn't have attacked at all. I-"

"You needed to, Kanako," I said. "Don't feel guilty. The battle helped me to remember you, too, so there is that. And besides, I won."

"Even being her," Kanako said, "what you did with that water shouldn't have been possible. Suwako-you fought me using her power."

"Suwako. Another familiar name. That's the name of the one whose power I copied?"

"Yes. I… I never would have made that mistake if I'd been fighting her. As a god herself, she could have overridden my command with her control, but… none short of another god tied to the water could have done so, and you-"

"She is every bit as divine as you and I."

The two of us spun towards the new voice. There were two people there, one of whom I recognized as the kappa that had passed by while I was talking with Hina-Laqara, that was her name. The other I didn't immediately recognize, but she triggered that sense of familiarity, and quite strongly. Her hat, especially; as the ourobouros design-the snake eating itself-of the brim made my hat stand out, so did the eyes on her hat.

It was Kanako who next spoke. "Suwako. And…"

"I am Laqara," the kappa said.

"Introductions can wait. Explain yourself, Suwako. What did you mean?"

"Laqara," Suwako said, "do it."

* * *

"Okay," Wriggle said, "um, I'm going to go with 'what the fuck?'"

"Did Suwako do something? Tewi asked.

"She just gave the kappa an instruction, and now Laqara is…"

"Is what?"

"Is attacking Orphan at Suwako's command."

* * *

Laqara's surprise attack caught me off guard, but I reacted quickly. She attacked me with flames, and I wasn't able to avoid being hit, but I struck her with earth before she could follow up on it.

Kanako sent a blast of wind at Laqara, but Suwako raised a wall of earth to block it. "No," she said as she positioned herself in front of Kanako. "This fight has to happen."

"Out of my way."

"Or what? You're exhausted, Kanako. You can't take me when you're already so worn out."

I ignored their conversation, focusing my attention on Laqara. Like Kanako, I was worn out from the previous battle, whereas Laqara was still fresh. I needed to end the fight quickly, because I knew that my opponent could outlast me.

I sent a wave of earth at Laqara. She leapt over it and into a large rock I'd formed above her. The wave of earth had passed, so she landed again, then moved out of the way when I tried to drop the rock on her. I sent a storm of earthen shards at her, but she blew them away with a cone of wind before aiming another come at me. I rose the earth in defense.

Something was strange. _Fire and wind? I thought kappa had powers of water. That's what Nol said, at least. So how..._

Laqara attacked with fireballs, forcing me to evade. And as the fireballs passed close to me, I… felt them, and not physically. I was sensing them somehow. _But I haven't been able to do that. What's going on?_

* * *

"Suwako," Kanako said, "what the hell has gotten into you?"

"I don't intend to let her be harmed," Suwako said, "so don't worry about that. Although Laqara is fighting her with such intent. One of the reasons it's her instead of me. I'm certain I couldn't bring myself to do it, not to her."

"Start making sense. Now."

"Your battle with her helped her awaken, but she's only come part of the way. She's beginning to remember us, remember her past, but that's not enough. Kanako, you know as well as I do that we're never going to get a defense against Makai ready in time, not with the way things have been going. Unless someone new enters the equation."

"And what the hell does that have to do with attacking her?"

"That's the main reason I couldn't do it myself," Suwako said. "I am incapable of attacking her in the necessary way. So are you. There's a reason I chose Laqara specifically. She has significant skill with magic, far greater than that of anyone else on the mountain."

"So?"

"It has to be magic, Kanako. Surely that part makes sense, at least."

"Maybe it would if you stopped speaking in riddles."

"I've already told you," Suwako said. "Or do you not remember? It was just a few days before she vanished. I told you what I'd come to realize about her, remember? About her divinity?"

"She's just your descendant. She's not truly a-wait, you did say that you thought-"

"Exactly. Do you understand now?"

"Of course not. You're still not being clear."

"Well, let me say the practical part, then: her true nature has until now lain dormant. After what she's already gone through, and with her memories beginning to return, being attacked by Laqara should trigger her awakening."

"'Awakening'. Explain yourself."

"It's simple," Suwako said. "She's…"

* * *

It didn't take me very long to figure out that Laqara was attacking me with magic. A far greater mystery was the way I was able to feel her attacks. But it was a mystery that would have to wait.

I tried to avoid a blast by passing into the ground, but I was exhausted by that point and lacked the energy for such a thing, so I was hit. I attacked with shards of earth. Laqara blew them away again, but they did buy me time to close in. I formed my weapon and struck, but Laqara formed a weapon of her own, a staff, with which she blocked my attack. She thrust her hand forward, and a wave of force sent me flying. And as the wave hit me, I realized what I was sensing. I was feeling the magic she used. Not the attacks she sent at me, but the actual magic within them. The energy, not the manifestation. I guess I'm not really sure how best to describe it.

I hit the ground. I tried to pick myself up, but I fell to my knees as Laqara approached, a ball of fire between her hands. "Not bad for someone who just fought Kanako," she said. "Sorry, though; I kind of have to do this."

As she threw the fireball at me, something changed.

* * *

"Orphan's down," Wriggle said, "and Laqara's moving in for the-what the hell?"

* * *

"Suwako," Kanako said, "what the hell is going on here?"

"She's awakening," Suwako said.

"So she's going to be a-"

"She always was. Her divinity was simply dormant. It had to be drawn out. That's why it had to be a magic-user who attacked her. Your fight with her helped, but more was required. She's starting to remember her past, awakening to those memories. By pushing harder, and with the proper method-magic-her divinity has been brought forth."

"That's why you attacked her?"

"I had to."

"She could've died! Are you really okay with doing something that could have killed her? Risking her life like that?"

"No," Suwako said, "but it had to be done. That's the problem with you, Kanako; you have trouble seeing the big picture. That's why you waited so long before moving the shrine to Gensokyo. Even your conquest over me was motivated by an immediate desire for faith-and when that backfired, you ended up having to keep me around anyways. It doesn't matter if I want to awaken her, because it needs to be done. Or can you think of anyone else who could unite Gensokyo in time to face Makai's forces?"

"…No," Kanako said. "I can't."

* * *

Laqara's fireball came apart, the magic that formed it dispersing. A burst of energy from me knocked her back.

I felt the energy come from within me and from around me, and as it lifted me off the ground, my exhaustion vanished. And then my appearance changed. I felt my body fill out. My eyes, I somehow knew, had become a deep green that seemed to glow. My hair became long and flowing, and it, too, was now green. My clothing changed, too; I found myself wearing long, flowing robes. I was wearing a headdress, as well, although my hat had been knocked off during the battle and thus was not itself altered. My weapon, too, changed; instead of the simple pole I had wielded, I was holding an elaborate staff. But the greatest change was my power. Gone was the connection to and power over earth and water. My sense of and control over them was gone, and something new was in its place. I could sense the power all around me, the magic that was in Gensokyo's nature just as it was against the outside world's.

Laqara launched more fireballs at me as I touched the ground. I gathered energy into a sphere and fired it at her, blasting right through her fireballs and knocking her to the ground. But she was not my true opponent; that was the one who had sent her against me.

Kanako was just staring at me, stunned by what she had just seen. Suwako was less so, but it was still there, and I took advantage of it. I charged her, moving faster than I could before, and swung my staff into her hard, knocking her into the ground.

Laqara came in from behind me. I couldn't see her, but I felt the energy she was gathering as she approached, the magic she was forming into a beam. I sensed it, and I sent my own power into it. The sudden energy surged the spell beyond Laqara's control, causing it to detonate and knock her back.

I stood over the downed Suwako. "Explain yourself."

"Laqara," Suwako said, "stand down. This battle is over."

"Why did you have her attack me?" I asked as Suwako got to her feet.

"To awaken your true being," Suwako said. "You often called yourself a 'living god', but you were not truly a god. That part of your being was dormant within you. Now it is not. But maybe at should start at the beginning, since you don't have your memory."

"I'm beginning to remember some things," I said. "The two of you, for instance, I am beginning to recall. Kanako, I served as the maiden of your shrine, didn't I?" Kanako nodded. "And Suwako, you… you're my ancestor, I think."

"Yeah," Suwako said. "Very distant, but yes."

"And you're both gods."

"Also yes. I am a god of the land and the water, and Kanako is a god of the sky-which, of course, also includes water. And you're a god, too, although not just in the sense you used to think, which was basically the sense of being descended from one."

"You two know me well, then."

"You've lived with us for your entire life."

"Then let's go through it. I would like to know about my life."

"Let's not just stand around here, though," Suwako said. "Come on, let's go for a walk up the mountain while we fill you in. Oh, and Laqara, you've done your job. Thank you for your service."

"Let me know if you have need of it again," Laqara said as she flew off.

Suwako turned back to me. "Right. Let's walk and talk."

* * *

_I am Kanako Yasaka._

_Suwako and I have shared a shrine for thousands of years. I gained ownership of it when I defeated her in battle, but the people who followed her were unwilling to accept my rule over hers. So I reached an agreement with her. The two of us now share the shrine, and we share our faith._

_The idea of a separate land of magic was proposed in the year 500. Many were seeing a trend of increasing skepticism, and were afraid that if things kept going that way, magic would die out. They decided to preserve such things by designating a location to be the land of magic and separating it from the rest of the world, a place they chose to call 'Gensokyo'. This is marked as year 0 on the Gensokyan calendar. Exactly one year later, the borders were set, and the land of Gensokyo existed. At that point, though, it was more of a separate country than a separate world; the true border wouldn't be established for some time._

_Gensokyo formed over a period of four hundred years. Migrating every youkai to one place isn't exactly something that happens quickly. And, of course, there were issues to sort out, most notably the means of separation. Gensokyo couldn't be disconnected completely; ever separated, it would remain a part of the world. It needed to be separated without a complete disconnection._

_It was, to nobody's surprise, Yukari Yakumo who found the means to separate Gensokyo. She used a shrine within Gensokyo, the Hakurei Shrine. She and the Hakurei maiden at the time, Miyako, channeled their power into the shrine, using it as the anchor for what would come to be known as the Great Hakurei Barrier._

_Yukari's power of boundaries was needed to start things along, but once the process was begun, it was up to the Hakurei maiden to finish it. This took centuries, and the task passed through several generations of Hakurei maidens._

_During this time, the migration to Gensokyo was proceeding. At first, it was a small trickle, but then the pace picked up as word of the new land spread. And then it slowed down again, as the youkai who were willing to migrate had done so. But as the centuries passed, the trend of skepticism continued, and it became more and more apparent that the world outside of Gensokyo was becoming one inhospitable to youkai, and as a result, migration to Gensokyo picked up again._

_It was not just youkai who came to Gensokyo. There were humans among the migrants, as well, mainly near the end of its formation, as any humans alive earlier in the process would be dead by the time of its completion. Many were magicians or others with power who felt that their place was in the land of magic. Others were scholars of magic who did not want their studies to become useless. And many came simply because they were following family members or other loved ones. In fact, incidents of violence against human-youkai couples dropped almost to nothing, simply because almost all of those couples moved to Gensokyo._

_Only a few gods made the move to Gensokyo; most remained in their native lands, myself among them. The absence of magic would not harm us; gods are sustained by faith, and magic is no part of our power. And despite an increasingly skeptical attitude towards magic, belief in the gods remained strong, and very few thought that this would change._

_The barrier was ready a few years before the 400-year mark, but wasn't activated until that mark, giving people one last chance to move there before the separation. And on that 400-year mark, the separation happened. The barrier was activated, and Gensokyo was gone, the only remnant being the Hakurei Shrine, which served as the anchor between Gensokyo and the 'outside world' and so now existed in both. Its maiden, though, was in Gensokyo, so another was chosen. The Hakurei maidens of the outside world have none of the power that their counterparts have; they are no different than any other maidens in outside-world shrines._

_It should be said that since most gods had not moved, their maidens still had access to the divine powers of the ones they served. And it remained this way for some time. But even we could not last in the outside world._

_We were correct in thinking that religion and belief in gods would remain, but we didn't expect the shift in those beliefs. Oh, we'd seen the spread of religions such as Christianity, but we hadn't thought this would have the effect it did. Such religions didn't worship the gods that existed in the world, but we thought that enough would remain who did worship us. Many gods had faded from the world, yes, most notably the pantheons of Greece and Rome, but that had happened a long time ago, and we thought that faith in us would endure as it had._

_We were wrong._

_Oh, people still followed the old religions. Or tried to, at least. But their beliefs changed over the generations, and though religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Shintoism kept their names-and at least some of the basics-they were very different from what they had once been. Ideas changed, thoughts changed, and people's faith changed. Fewer and fewer people were believing in the gods as we actually existed, and more and more of us faded away. Suwako and I were among the last, sustained by a few small villages that remained faithful to us. But we knew that it was only a matter of time before we, too, faded._

_The only reason we remain is because of Suwako. She had advocated moving to Gensokyo from the start, certain that faith in us would eventually fade. Since we shared a shrine, she had no choice but to remain with me, but she was certain that eventually, we would be forced to relocated to Gensokyo or fade away._

_Passage to and from Gensokyo was, of course, possible, although not easy. People and objects do sometimes slip through the border, and a gateway does exist for those who know how to open it, but that knowledge has been lost to the outside world. Not to myself and Suwako, of course, or to other gods, but we can't simply pass through it. Moving there was more complicated than that._

_You see, gods are bound to their native lands. We can go wherever we desire,, though, as no matter where we are, our connection to them remains. The problem was Gensokyo's separation. The connection would be unable to remain through the barrier, and with it broken, we would fade away. And yes, it's possible for a god to bind herself to a new land, but one must be in that land in order to do it, so we'd need to go to Gensokyo, at which point we'd fade before the binding could be done._

_Unlike most gods, Suwako had been working on this problem, and by the time we needed a solution, she had one. The concept was simple, and was one that other gods had tried: if we had to remain bound to our mative lands, then we'd simply need to bring those with us. All who tried this, however, failed. Except for Suwako, who'd been working on it for fifteen hundred years. By the time we needed a way, she had one._

_Our shrine was beside a lake. We moved both with us to Gensokyo. It was difficult, and even with the proper method Suwako had found, we almost failed. It took everything the two of us and our maiden, Sanae, had, but we managed to do it._

_I quickly established myself among the gods of Gensokyo, many of whom Suwako and/or myself had known before the separation-Suwako's reunion with Hina was especially… notable, and is something I'm never going to forget. I turned my efforts to gathering faith from the humans and youkai of Gensokyo, but my initial, forceful approach was… resisted, at least by those beyond the mountain our shrine was now at the peak of; the tengu and kappa living on the mountain were much more welcoming. But we settled our differences with the rest of Gensokyo, and before long were accepted as a part of it._

_I thought our maiden had died when the demons attacked our shrine, even after the Yamaxanadu informed us that her soul had never entered Higan. But now she has returned. I don't know how she ended up in the outside world, or how she lost her memory. I do know that she's back, but she has changed, and not in the sense of losing her memory. Apparently, her line has been fully divine from the start, but that divinity was dormant in the outside world even before Gensokyo's creation. It wasn't until coming to Gensokyo, where all magic was concentrated, that her divinity began to awaken. I don't know how things are going to proceed from here, but I do know that even if she's changed, she has returned._

* * *

"They're just going over her life now," Wriggle said.

"I guess she'd want to know about that," Mystia said, "but I'd rather they get to the interesting part."

"They've said enough for a basic idea of what happened. Orphan's a god, but her divinity was dormant within her. The purpose of Laqara's attack was to force it out, and this succeeded."

"I still want to know more," Tewi said. "Like, what exactly is she a god of that let her screw with Laqara's magic like that?"

"Patience," Wriggle said. "I'm sure they'll get to it eventually."

* * *

"…but that sort of thing is fairly normal here," Suwako was saying. "Anyways, for your birthday that year, we made this for you." She held up my hat, which she'd picked up before we departed the battle site.

"So it was a gift," I said. "That's what I'd thought."

"You remembered that?"

"I knew only that the hat was important to me."

"Ah. Anyways, that's pretty much it; you disappeared later that year."

"I see. Let's move on, then."

"Of course," Suwako said. "I'm actually surprised you let me give your life's story first. I thought you'd want to know this a lot more."

"I thought it best to know my life first," I said. "It should help me to understand other information about myself, should it not?"

"Good point. Well, we'll start with you using my powers."

"I copied them somehow," I said. "Eirin, at Eientei, told me about such things. It probably happened as a result of whatever caused me to lose my memory and end up in the outside world."

"Seems likely," Kanako said. "It wasn't before that; you had your own power up until then."

"Well, not quite," Suwako added. "I thought I told you about this, Kanako."

"Well, excuse me for not being an expert on something I only found out about a little while ago."

"Hey, I told you about it after she disappeared! You just didn't remember it!"

"I had other things on my mind."

"Let us get back on track, please," I said.

Suwako chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about that. Anyways, before your disappearance, your power appeared to be that of miracles."

"You should elaborate on what that means here," I said. "In the outside world, most of what I've seen here could qualify, depending on one's definition of the word."

"A miracle is an act of the gods," Kanako replied unhesitatingly. "It is a manipulation of nature in a manner that only a god is capable of."

"Yeah, that's a pretty good definition," Suwako remarked.

"It's not a definition. That's what a miracle is. The fact that some people have a poor understanding of the concept does nothing to change that."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyways, you did things, usually without intending to, that we couldn't think of anything else to call. Your entire line has been that way from the start, from my direct child. We assumed it was an effect of being part god."

"And as our shrine maiden," Kanako added, "you could draw upon our powers, allowing us to work miracles through you."

"Yes, that added to the confusion. Anyways, your ability wasn't any more pronounced than it was in the rest of your line. Once we moved the shrine to Gensokyo, though, your 'miracles' became more common."

"Clearly a natural effect of being in Gensokyo."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too, at first. Things like miracles do happen more easily in the land of magic; Kanako and I certainly have an easier time with ours. But what caught my attention was the fact that your miracles were becoming not just more frequent, but more controlled. Which also could've been an effect of being in Gensokyo, but it did get me to look more closely at what you were doing. And when I did, I saw that many of your 'miracles' weren't actually miracles. The things of the type you'd been doing in the outside world were-and those were also happening more frequently and with more control-but the ones that were really becoming increasingly common and controlled weren't miracles. They were works of magic."

"Works of magic," I repeated. "So you're saying that being in Gensokyo allowed me to use magic. How would just being here give me a new ability? I know magic is a relatively common power, but if one could get it from just being here, then wouldn't everyone have it?"

Suwako was silent for a moment. "Ah, wait, of course. You may not know. Um, what do you know about Gensokyo?"

"Nol, Reimu's assistant, gave me the basics."

"Ah, of course. That explains it. He doesn't have any power of his own; most people like that don't really understand."

"Then please explain."

"Certainly," Suwako said. "It's pretty simple, really; the term 'magic' has two meanings. It's used as a general term to refer to any sort of power, but there's also a specific type of power called 'magic'. That's what Laqara used, the specific power called magic. It gets a bit confusing, though, when you add in the fact that the power of magic is present to some extent in almost every other form of power-which, of course, is what led to the term being used for power in general.

"Anyways, no, being in Gensokyo can't give you the ability to use magic or any other power. But miracles are one of the only types of power that don't include magic. That's what caught my attention, because you shouldn't have been able to use magic at all. So I looked even closer, and eventually, I realized that even your miracles included magic."

"Wait," Kanako said, "that's not possible. Miracles include no magic."

"Magic is a part of nature," Suwako said, "so it is possible for miracles involving it to occur."

"And how is that?"

"I am a god of the land and the water, so my miracles affect those. You, Kanako, are a god of the sky, so your miracles affect the sky. Magic is the same way. Miracles that affect magic can be performed only by…"

Suwako trailed off, and I filled in the rest. "By a god of magic. That's what you're saying."

"Yes, you're correct."

"Say it, then," I said, "and when you do, use my name. I think I've learned enough to earn the right to know it."

"Your name," Suwako said, "is Sanae Kochiya, and you are a god of magic."

* * *

**And the winner is... ShimmerMist! Sorry, everyone else, but Orphan's not Suwako. I'll admit that I thought about having her be Suwako, though. I first wanted to use Sanae, but then I thought of a good idea for how Suwako being Orphan would play out. I still wanted to use Sanae, but I couldn't think of a good way to do it. Obviously, though, I eventually did, so I did end up using her. And if there's anything you're confused by or that you don't think fits, well, feel free to say so, but do know that I already plan to address most of the things that could be that in the next chapter.**

**Now, I have to say that I'm surprised at some of the things people missed. I thought I was being way too obvious with Orphan's line 'No miracles, only my own power' way back in chapter 2, but nobody seemed to pick up on that (or on the other times the word was used). What surprised me the most, though, was that everyone seemed to ignore the fact that Orphan's power had changed when she lost her memory. It was mentioned in the first chapter, although at that point failing to notice it (it was a brief mention) is understandable. But it was mentioned a few more times, and still seemed to be ignored or unnoticed. And then I had Eirin go into details about how such a thing would work, and people still ignored it. And the point of the change was to allow me to describe her power in action without giving away her identity (although I wouldn't have done it had I not had a way to fit it in with the story), so yeah. The hat served a similar purpose; I didn't want the presence or absense of a hat to be a clue to her identity, which is why I repeatedly stated that it may have been given to her just before the memory loss, the idea being that because of this she could be a character who doesn't generally have a hat, or one who does, since she didn't actually know when she first got it.**

**I'm also kind of surprised that nobody got the idea of Orphan being Kanako, especially given how I was carefully avoiding using Kanako's name.**

**Anyways, congradulations, ShimmerMist! And yes, there's a prize: pick a character (Windows-era only), and I'll work out a backstory segment for that character (although there are characters I won't do one for, mainly ones like Cirno and Rumia, whose pasts we've already learned a good deal about).**

**And, of course, reviews are appreciated (especially those that go into detail about the fight scene).**


	18. Chapter 18: Return

**Chapter 18  
**_Return_

"Well," Tewi said, "I guess that explains that. Although I didn't hear anything about why Makai wants her dead."

"Not that it's hard to figure out," Daiyousei said. "Orphan's someone who's known throughout Gensokyo, and not only is she returning, but she's a god now. Makai thinks she can succeed where Kanako and Remilia and Kaguya failed."

"And they may be right," Tewi said. "If Orphan, or Sanae, or whatever, is smart enough to do things the right way, then yes, she could do it."

"What 'right way'?" Cirno asked.

"Kaguya and the other two have been trying to unify Gensokyo under themselves, which, um, isn't working. Byakuren came by recently saying that we should instead be trying to get everyone in Gensokyo to simply stand together against a common threat. If Orphan's smart enough to do it that way, I think it'll work."

"That's it, then, right?" Daiyousei said. "We're done here, right?"

"No," Cirno said, "it's not. At least not for me and Rumia; we're going to fight."

"Wriggle and I are, too," Mystia added.

Daiyousei sighed. "I'd complain, but I think I knew this would happen. Actually, I'll probably complain anyways, but that's it. It's not like I could stop you, anyways."

"Are you going home, Dai?" Cirno asked.

"No, I don't think so. There's no way I'm fighting, but I'll stick with you guys. We're a team, right?"

"I've got to decline," Tewi said. "I kind of have other responsibilities."

"That's fine," Cirno said. "Don't feel like you shouldn't come just because you're new, though. You still count as one of us."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tewi said as she took off down the mountain.

"Right," Daiyousei said, "so, um, we're not going to Orphan right now, are we? Because I don't think we should."

"Agreed," Rumia said. "She's kind of had a big day. And she hasn't actually started doing anything yet, either. We should wait until she does."

"Head back home, then? Either that or we'll need to find a place to spend the night here."

"I don't think we need to find anything," Mystia remarked. "Wriggle?"

"I have two good spots," Wriggle said. "One's pretty close, but it'd be a bit cramped with all five of us. There's a better spot a bit farther up."

"We'll do that one," Mystia said, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Very well," Wriggle said. "We will use that location. I have no doubt that Orphan will choose to act in Gensokyo's defense, and when she makes that decision, we will go to her, and we will offer our aid. Nothing will be able to stand against us, and all who try will fall before us."

"Okay, Wriggle," Cirno said, "you're kind of starting to worry me here."

"Oh, come on," Wriggle said, "there's nothing wrong with enjoying myself a bit. You should try it. Play things up a bit. Let's have a little fun when we offer our aid tomorrow, all of us."

"Maybe I will try it," Mystia said. "Let's just go find that cave or whatever right now, though."

"Agreed," Wriggle said. "Follow me."

* * *

Netese knew that her arrival had not gone unnoticed; Malachi's scouts had no doubt seen her approach. So Netese wasn't surprised when Malachi herself came out to greet her. Malachi gave a deep bow as Netese landed in front of her. "Lady Netese."

"Greetings, Lady Malachi," Netese said as Malachi straightened.

"I was not expecting you to come here personally," Malachi said. "I wish I had known; I sent another messenger to you just a little while ago."

"Oh? Did something happen?"

"Yes," Malachi said, "and because of it, I think your decision to come here in person is quite fortunate."

"Did Orphan make it out of Higan?"

Malachi nodded. "She did. The Yamaxanadu herself was seen with her."

"She convinced the ruler of Hell to aid her. Unfortunate."

"Indeed. My Lady, there must be something going on here that we don't know about. Orphan is Sanae Kochiya, maiden of the Moriya Shrine, and she's not someone I'd think the Yamaxanadu would give a personal escort to."

"She's the descendant of a god," Netese said.

"Really? Huh. Well, still, Shikieiki's accompaniment of her is unexpected."

"Unless my theory about her is correct."

"Theory?"

"It came from something during the disrupting attack. It was something in the attack team's report. Apparently, Sanae showed… unusual abilities. In particular, she was somehow interfering with the team's magicians in ways that shouldn't be possible for anyone short of a god."

"Wait, so you think she's-"

"A true god, not just the descendant of one. Yes, I do. I don't know if she was aware of it, but the disruption effect may well have hit her-we were directly affecting the shrine she served, which may have affected her in some way. It's likely that our attack is the reason she lost her memory and the reason her powers changed. It may be that this disruption hit her divine nature in some way, somehow stimulated it."

"You think she's awakened as a god, then."

"I think it's possible. I hope I'm wrong, because her return is bad enough already. She will be a fresh figure urging Gensokyo not to unify, but to stand together against us. Even as a shrine maiden, she'd likely be able to gather a significant force, but if she does this not as someone serving another but as a separate authority, well…"

"That would be bad," Malachi agreed.

"Yes. How many of the forces have gathered here?"

"Only Naima's has arrived, but most of the others could be here within a fortnight. Kanth's is still a ways out, though. That's assuming a direct course here, though; they do still have soldiers to pick up from recruitment-slash-training centers."

"Get messages out to all of them," Netese said, "and immediately. Both the forces and the centers. Everyone is to proceed directly here as quickly as possible. We need to move as soon as we can; the longer we wait, the larger a force the enemy can assemble."

"The recruit teams are expecting to join with other forces. It'll take some time to mobilize them individually."

"But not as much as the original plan would take. We'll need to move before they've all gotten here, so we'll just fit them in as they arrive. We'll change some assignments to make sure the important positions are full. I know this'll create some organizational confusion, but we'll just have to deal with it."

"What about Kanth's force?"

"We're moving out in two weeks, so he won't be here in time. I'll have to put your force in his place, and he can take the defensive position here. I know your force is smaller than his, but it'll have to be enough."

"I think it will be," Malachi said. "I don't like the effect all these sudden changes are likely to have, but I think you're right; waiting around would be worse. Besides, this is one of the reasons we're taking the overkill approach, right? I think we'll be fine."

* * *

_Sloppy of them,_ Alice thought. _There's no way Moscow should've been able to get that close so easily. I know it's hard to be on alert in safe territory, but still, this is just embarrassing. Fortunate, though._ "They plan to move in two weeks," she said.

"Not a lot of time," Byakuren said.

"True. They are, however, rushing things a bit to give Orphan less time, and that'll throw their organization off-and it sounds like some of their troops won't have arrived by the time they move, so there's also that."

"Still not good."

"Indeed," Alice said, "but don't forget our own advantages. The average resident of Makai is notably weaker than the average resident of Gensokyo, and we also have a greater variety of powers than they do. But even more importantly, Makai does not have the constant fighting that Gensokyo does. They'll have numbers and training, but we'll have power and experience. Sure, our battles aren't generally to the death, but it's still more real combat than Makai's troops have seen. I think we can do it. It won't be easy, but I think we can do it."

* * *

As we continued towards the shrine, the conversation turned to what I could expect my abilities to be as a god. "Complete mastery of magic goes without saying, of course," Suwako said. "This should come naturally to you. You may want to practice a bit to see just what you can do, but you'll know what you can do, and that really sounded confusing."

That was certainly true. "I think I understand, though."

"That's good, because it's really hard to explain. Anyways, yeah, nobody could match you as a magic-user even without taking your divine abilities into consideration. And those, of course, are significant. You already saw that you can directly influence the magic of others, cancelling it out or overloading it. You can probably even take direct control of others' spells. I don't know how much influence you have over other forms of power, though-I don't think the traces of magic in those are enough for you to really do anything with. Of course, you should have more than enough raw power to make up for it."

"You think so? I'm not sure where I stand in terms of raw power. Although now that you mention it, I do feel as though my power is significant."

"A god's power comes from faith," Kanako said. "The more faith you have, the more powerful you will be."

"And you've got a lot," Suwako said.

"I've only just awakened as a god," I said. "How much faith could I have?"

"In the old days, before skepticism and science took hold in the outside world, everyone believed that nature was solely the work of the gods. If it rained, that was seen as the work of sky gods, such as Kanako. When crops grew, that was thought to be because of the harvest gods . If one was unlucky, people's thoughts turned towards curses rather than just pure chance. Today, people in the outside world have an understanding of nature. Before, they had faith in nature. It was not faith in any particular gods directly, but it was faith in their domains, and that's sufficient."

"Sadly," Kanako said, "even in Gensokyo people no longer think that nature is entirely the work of the divine; they see it as simply being influenced by us. Faith still comes from them, but not to the same extent."

"But your situation is different," Suwako said. "You're a god of magic, and though magic is a force of nature, it's a bit different. It's easier for regular people to make use of, and as such, even magicians usually don't think of it as a force of nature; only the scholars do. People may not know that there's a god of magic in Gensokyo, but everyone knows that Gensokyo is the realm of magic, and the people do have faith in it, not an understanding of it. Not in any god of magic, but in magic itself."

"And since I'm the only god of magic here," I said, "that faith all comes to me. I see."

"I don't think you've got much to worry about in the power department. I'm not saying there's nobody who could match you, but there certainly aren't many. Although more than just raw power matters in battle, of course. You've always done just fine in battle, though, so I see no reason to expect anything diff-"

"Boo!"

"GAH!" Suwako struck out in surprise, connecting with a young-looking girl who'd just popped in out of nowhere and sending her into a boulder.

The girl got to her feet. "Owwww. Why'd you do that?"

"Hey, you're the one who showed up in my face! What were you expecting me to do?"

This girl had a number of features that would have made her stand out in the outside world, but not in Gensokyo. There was one, however, that did make her stand out even here. _That looks like the third eye Satori has. Although this one's closed._ I approached the girl. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?"

"Yes. Who are you? You look a little like someone I met recently, although her eye… thing was open."

"Wait, you know sis?"

Interesting. "You're Satori's sister?"

"Yeah. I'm Koishi."

"Well, it's nice to meet you."

"I can't share that sentiment," Suwako said. "What the hell were you trying to do, anyways?"

"Just playing. Kogasa's right; surprising people is fun. That's all I was doing. It certainly wasn't anything you needed to hit me for. Overreact much?"

"This is not a good time to go around surprising people," I said. "There have been attacks, and they are getting more frequent. Many are likely to react to a surprise just like Suwako did."

"Well, then they're just no fun."

"Perhaps you should return home. Your sister and her pets would probably be much more willing to play with you."

"Maaaaaaaybe."

"We're busy at the moment," Kanako said, "so please leave us be. Go play at the tengu village. They've all been extra stuck-up lately, so they could use a little surprising."

"Oh? Maybe I should go get Kogasa, then."

"That sounds nice. Go play with your friend."

"Yeah, I'll do that. Bye!" She vanished as suddenly as she had appeared.

"Right," I said, "that was odd."

"Not by Gensokyo's standards," Kanako remarked.

* * *

_Hi! I'm Koishi!_

_I'm a satori, but I'm not Satori. That's my sister's name, not mine. Well, okay, it's not really her name. Her name's Naoshi; she just calls herself Satori. She says she does it to make a statement, but the only statement I see is 'I like weird names'. Satori is the name of our kind, not of a person. But sis is strange like that._

_Anyways, satori can read minds. That's why we run the underground, but it sucks, too, because people hate us for no reason. We can read minds, so everyone hates us. Why they think I'd even want to read their minds, I don't know. It's all boring stuff, anyways. Although some of it's more depressing. Or disturbing. But whatever. I didn't like it anyways, so why should I care?_

_I didn't like reading minds, and I didn't like people hating me because of it, so I thought, 'hey, why should I even read minds at all?' So I closed my third eye. Other satori have done it. I didn't really get why until I experienced things for myself, but then it made sense, and I decided that I'd do it. I wouldn't have to read minds, and I wouldn't be hated because of something I didn't even like in the first place. I think I messed it up, though, because it didn't work the way it was supposed to._

_What was supposed to happen is that my third eye would close, and then no more mind-reading. But, well, my eye's closed, yes, but I think I did something wrong with the mind-reading part, because I can still do that. Just differently. Other satori read people's conscious minds; whatever I did to mess things up made my eye look deeper in, and now I read people's subconscious minds. Which isn't nearly as bad, so whatever I messed up, I think I'm okay with it. I can do some cool new stuff, now, too. Like make people not see me, which is fun. Okay, so that's not quite true. They still see me; I just make them not notice me. Works just the same, though._

_Now, yeah, there are people who like having their subconscious minds read even less than their conscious minds, but you know what? I don't really care anymore. Besides, a lot of people find it easy to ignore my new ability, since, well, the subconscious is subconscious. It doesn't feel like there's anything there, so they don't think about it, and so they don't think to care that I can read it. Oh, and there are also people that have asked me to help them sort things out, figure out what's bothering them and stuff like that. So some people are glad that I can do that. But you know what? I don't care anymore._

_I don't care what people think of my ability, and I'm not really sure why I ever did. Sis is responding to people's feelings by throwing her ability in people's faces. I responded by trying to get rid of it, but now I don't care what they think, and I can't understand why I would. I'm just going to do whatever I want to, 'cause why shouldn't I?_

* * *

"Our current shrine maiden is named Seina," Kanako said as we neared the shrine. "Seina Kochiya. She's actually your daughter, at least biologically."

"I have a daughter?"

"It's more complicated than that," Suwako said. "No, you've never had a child. The thing is, your line's been our maidens ever since it began, and we both wanted to continue that, but you didn't have a child. So we had to work at it a bit. We called in a bunch of favors, took out some that we owe people now, and basically went to a hell of a lot of trouble. Kanako even got a message sent to a fertility goddess she knew in the outside world that hasn't faded yet. Which is fortunate, since we couldn't have done it without her aid."

"Basically," Kanako said, "we took a man's seed-we found one we thought you would have approved of-got your contribution to the process from a combination of various magic, miracles, and other powers, and impregnated a surrogate with the resulting embryo. That was easy enough. The hard part was getting what we needed from you."

"Magically-assisted pregnancies are common in Gensokyo," Suwako said. "In case you haven't noticed, the majority of the population here is female. Lesbian couples are pretty common here, and, naturally, a lot of them want children. Getting a pregnancy from two women is actually pretty easy; you just have to magic the eggs together. There's a little more to it than that, but not much, and it's not important here anyways.

"Anyways, the problem we had was that we didn't have any eggs from you. We had genetic material-we got it from hairs-but not reproductive cells."

Hearing even basic genetics terms seemed out of place in Gensokyo, but apparently, these two-myself, too-had lived in the outside world until a few years ago, so them knowing it did make sense. "How did you solve that problem?"

"That's where Luria-the fertility goddess-came in," Kanako said. "She was able to create reproductive cells from what we did have."

"She couldn't just make them on her own?"

"Of course she could have, but then it wouldn't have been your child, just a child. Which she's done quite a lot, of course."

"Yeah," Suwako said, "one time she did that and it ended up starting a new religion. Jesus Christ wasn't the son of any god, but he was born to a virgin-although Mary was Jewish and mistook Luria for an angel."

"Wait," I said, "so Christianity got its start from her?"

"It would've happened anyways," Kanako said. "They were intensely trying to find a savior, so they would have, whether there was one or not. There'd have even been plenty of virgin births to choose from-it's never been as uncommon as most people think. But yes, it did. Which made it really funny when missionaries, thinking she was an ordinary human, tried to convert her. Me, too, actually; I was visiting her at the time. We've never stopped laughing at that one."

"I see. Well, let's get back on track."

"Right," Kanako said. "Anyways, once we had the reproductive cells, the rest was easy."

"I disappeared five years ago, though," I said. "How would this child be old enough to act as your maiden?"

"Time magic. We got the lunar princess Kaguya, who has power over eternity, to make an area for us where time moved faster, and Suwako and I raised her there."

"You can't have been there all the time, though, right?"

"Suwako and I alternated. She was there for four years, normal time-sixteen from her perspective. We had a kappa act as our maiden for that time. We didn't want to accelerate things too much, as large enough temporal differences can be… interesting."

"Does she have the same divine nature as I do?"

"No," Suwako said. "The divinity was passed down the line from me all the way to you, but your child wasn't conceived in the normal manner. We used your genes, yes, but that's not enough to carry divinity. Seina's fully human."

"I see. Um, does she know about the… circumstances of her birth?"

Kanako nodded. "We've told her. I'm not quite sure how she'll react when she sees you, but, well, we'll find out."

* * *

Night had fallen.

Mystia and Daiyousei were with Wriggle in the cave she'd led them two, but Cirno and Rumia were outside, seated together on a large rock and looking out over Gensokyo. "This is all crazy," Cirno said. "Wriggle's got some ancient power, you and I were both different people or whatever, Makai's going to attack, the frog-lady's miko is a god, and who knows what else is happening."

"Don't forget that we wouldn't have discovered our pasts if not for the demon thing," Rumia said. "And it sounds like the demons had something to do with Orphan, too. And they're what prompted Wriggle to get her ancestor's power. It seems like a lot, but the events are related at least somewhat."

"Oh, I wasn't saying it was all unlikely," Cirno said. "I was just remarking on things."

"I kind of was, too. It is a lot to take in, isn't it?"

"Yeah. At least deciding what to do about it is easy. If these demons want our home, they'll have to go through us."

"That they will," Rumia said. "We'll do our part."

"Just be careful, Rumia. I don't want anything to happen to you. I…"

"I know. I know."

* * *

Kanako and I were seated in a guest bedroom at the Moriya Shrine-Seina, naturally, was using my old room. "We'll need to get you a shrine of your own now," Kanako remarked. "I think having three gods here may be pushing it a bit."

"I'll need a shrine maiden," I said.

"That you will. Maybe you should go with Aloris, the kappa we used as a temporary maiden. She knows the duties already."

"Maybe. I think we have more important things to worry about right now, though."

Kanako nodded. "What are you going to do?"

"Think things over," I said. "I have a lot to take in. I... well, I think I'll likely decide to fight, but I do want at least the night to think things over."

"Then we'll talk about it in the morning."

"That works." I paused. "Kanako, what happened, anyways? When I disappeared."

"We were attacked," she said. "By demons. I don't know why, but they did… something. They weren't trying to take us out or take over the shrine or anything; they just showed up, did whatever they did, and left. We fought them, of course; you, me, and Suwako. At one point in the fight, you…"

"I took a hit meant for you, right?"

Kanako nodded. "You pushed me out of the way, and the blast knocked you into the middle of the ones doing whatever it was. At the instant they did it. I assume you got caught up in whatever it was."

"But what were they doing that would send me to the outside world? The Hakurei Shrine is the one connected to the border, right?"

"The energies of a shrine are such that such connections come easily. Ours may not be connected to a border, but it has the capability to be. That, I guess, was enough for whatever they were doing."

"It involved the border, whatever it was. Eirin said that it looked like someone had used the border to attack me."

"Well, I don't think it was that, but yes, the border may well have been involved. But yes, that's when you disappeared."

"I see." I paused. "Kanako."

"Yes?"

"I know it was hard for you to lose me like that. I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your-"

"I'm sorry anyways."

Kanako was silent for a moment. "I'm just glad you're back. Even if you have changed."

"Speaking of that, do gods sleep?"

"We don't need sleep absolutely, just rest. Sleep's the most efficient form of rest, though, so yes, most of us sleep. You may need actual sleep, though; you are something of an unusual case. Feeling tired?" I nodded. "Then get some rest."

* * *

Come the next morning, Alice and Byakuren were ready to depart. "Let's hope Orphan's willing to do what needs to be done," Alice said.

"I think she will be," Byakuren said.

"How well did you know her?"

"She was one of the ones Nue's prank drew in. Of the three, she was the most willing to help me. And afterwards, she got Kanako and Suwako to help with converting the ship into the temple. She visited sometimes. Liked to stop by when she was in the village for whatever reason. I wouldn't say I knew her exceptionally well, but she was a friend."

"And you think she'll do it?"

"I do."

"Well, let's go find out."

* * *

Apparently, gods don't truly need to eat, but like with sleep, it's helpful. So Kanako, Suwako, and I ate breakfast with Seina, the only one present who actually required food.

"I'm still confused about a couple things," I said.

"Like what?" Suwako asked.

"Well, first of all, while I was your maiden, I went all around Gensokyo, right? So how is it that nobody noticed I'd gone missing?"

"Well, some people knew, but only a few. Aside from us, there's Aloris, our temporary maiden. Reimu knows, too."

"So I should have waited for her at the start after all. Figures."

"Actually," Kanako said, "there's still been no sign of her, at least last I heard. It hasn't been long enough to be a big problem-especially since nothing's happened to the barrier-but it is a little worrying."

"Right. Is there anyone else who knew I'd vanished?"

"Byakuren did," Suwako said.

"Byakuren did?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I ran into her at Eientei. She didn't know who I was. Although now that I think about it, she did say that she found me familiar."

"Well, I guess she just didn't make the connection. Anyways, nobody else knew you'd vanished. Everyone on the mountain thought you'd simply died, and we didn't say anything to the rest of Gensokyo. You went out frequently, yes, but your visits to any specific location were unpredictable and infrequent enough that few really noticed that you'd stopped coming."

"I see."

"Anything else bugging you?"

"Well, there is one question I still have," I said. "I mentioned my… unplanned detour to Higan, right? Shiki-and Komachi, too-said that it shouldn't have been possible for me to have made it across the river. Apparently, I should have fallen like Utsuho did. But I didn't. I wasn't fully resisting the effect of the river's curse, but I was resisting it. When Shiki realized who I was, she seemed to think that was related to how I did so."

"Oh," Suwako said, "yeah, that'd be because of me. Did she tell you about how the curse gods did that particular curse?" I nodded. "Then you already know that it's a special curse, one that only the curse gods could have placed. Well, it just so happens that a long time ago, I challenged and defeated a bunch of them. That gave me the right to their allegiance, and the right to their power. I'm not actually a curse god, but I pretty much am one effectively, although there are limits. I don't think I could have made a curse like what the Sanzu has, but I'm curse god enough that it doesn't affect me. I'd assume that you, being my descendant, have a little of that effect yourself. I don't think you can use any special curse god powers, but you may very well have some level of curse resistance. Not enough to nullify the river's curse, but enough that you could resist it."

"Ah. I see."

"Any other questions?"

"Not right now," I said.

"Well, if you think of any more, don't hesitate to ask."

"I won't," I said. "But right now, we have other concerns."

"That we do," Kanako said. "You're going to do it, aren't you?"

I nodded. "I'm going to do it. I'd like to take some time to adjust to all of this, but we don't have time."

"That we do not. Makai will surely attack as soon as possible. They'll hurry their end along in order to give us less time. Which will mean they won't be fully prepared, but still, we can't waste any time."

"First, we need to get the word out, announce my return and my intentions and ask for people's aid."

"We'll want to reach all of Gensokyo at the same time," Suwako said.

"Is that possible?"

"Well, there is magic for communicating over distances. You could probably work some sort of miracle with that."

"I can help, too," Kanako added. "I can carry your words on the wind. They won't reach all of Gensokyo that way, but I can cover the mountain and its immediate surroundings. Do you think you can do the rest?"

Somehow, I knew. "Yes, but I'd rather do it differently. Your power would be better used in helping me spread the miracle through all of Gensokyo. Suwako, you should be able to do something similar to help it reach underground."

"I can do that," Suwako said. "Man, this should be interesting. Everyone in Gensokyo's going to know there's a god of magic here now. I expect you'll get a lot of visitors, Sanae-oh, um, is it okay to…"

"It is," I said. "I have yet to drop the name of Orphan entirely, but you may use my true name if you prefer."

"Got it. Anyways, yeah, you can expect a lot of magicians coming to you seeking your blessing. Probably people without power, too, hoping you could give them some. And who knows, maybe you can. Most gods can't, but again, magic is different from other aspects of nature, so maybe you actually can."

"Yes, by flooding the body with magical energy," I replied without hesitation. "That energy would pass through one's body, but it would have the effect of sensitizing one to such energies, enabling their use. They would, of course, still have to learn how to do it; I can only make it possible for them to do it, not give them skill with it. With those who can already use magic, the effect would differ on a case-by-case basis, with weaker magicians usually seeing more of an effect." I paused. "Huh. I guess that's what you meant by innately knowing what I can do, even if I don't actually know I can do it."

"Pretty much," Suwako said. "Anyways, yeah, you'll get a lot of people looking for that, I think. You probably shouldn't do it too much, though. Although I guess that's your decision."

"It's one that can wait," I said.

"True enough. You have any idea what you're going to say?"

"I have a basic idea. It'll probably be fairly clichéd, but it should serve its purpose. Which is all I need from it."

* * *

"Wriggle's changed," Rumia said as she and the rest of the group followed the insect queen up the mountain.

"Really?" Cirno replied. "I think she still acts like herself. Sure, she's started telling people to do things, but that's all."

"It not her actions as much as it is her attitude. She got, I think, even more power than we did, but it was more than that to her, I think. She thinks of herself as a ruler now."

"Wasn't she always an insect queen?"

"Not in her mind. And it's a lot different now, anyways, a lot stronger. And she's confident now, too. She's not worried about going into battle or anything like that, because she knows that she can handle it now."

"We're stronger, too, though."

"And we've changed a bit ourselves, but not as much as Wriggle. I don't think Wriggle realizes just how much she's changed, but she has."

* * *

"I'm ready," Kanako said.

"Me, too," Suwako said.

I nodded. "Good. Begin… now."

* * *

"_People of Gensokyo!_

"_Don't bother looking around; I'm speaking to you through magic. My name is Sanae Kochiya. Most of you should know that name, but for those who do not, I was the maiden of the Moriya Shrine. I have been… elsewhere for the past five years. Many of you didn't know that I had vanished, and most of those who did thought I was dead. But I understand rumors of my return have been circulating, and they are true. I have returned._

"_I was the maiden of the Moriya shrine, but I am a maiden no longer. I am descended from a god. That divinity has lain dormant within my line, but it has now awoken, and I am now fully a god. I tell you this not out of any desire for faith, but so that when I say what I have to say, you know I am not speaking for another."_

* * *

"_Most of you know of the demon attacks that have been occurring."_

"Demons?" Nol said to himself. "Is that what's been going on?"

* * *

"_These attacks are not random acts, but a coordinated effort by Makai that precedes a full-scale invasion of Gensokyo."_

"_I am not the first to speak publically of this threat, nor am I the first to attempt to organize a resistance. Kanako, the god I once served, has been doing so, as have the vampire Remilia Scarlet and the lunar princess Kaguya Houraisan. All three of them have been attempting to unify Gensokyo under themselves. But this has not been to Gensokyo's aid. It has turned Gensokyo against itself, which is exactly what the enemy wants."_

"So she's doing it," Wriggle said.

"Yeah," Mystia said, "she is."

* * *

"_Three people are trying to unify Gensokyo under their rule, and this pits them against each other. But that is not all it does. The people of Gensokyo do not want to submit to another's rule. The looming threat has turned Gensokyo against itself, and they intend to strike during this time of weakness._

"_Gensokyo does not need to unite under anyone's rule. It must simply stand together. Humans, kappa, tengu, oni, everyone must unite against a common threat. I ask not that we stand as one, but that we stand together."_

Akyu walked over to one of her bookshelves. _I'll do my part. Let's see here. What information will she need? Let's see… yes, the current reference editions for people. Definitely the index of abilities. Probably the location overview, too._

Akyu continued through her records.

* * *

"_I intend to face the coming threat, but I cannot do it alone. We must all work together. I intend to lead Gensokyo into this battle, but that is all I intend to do. I am not asking for lasting allegiance, only for help standing against a threat we all face."_

"Does that mean Aya was right about who Orphan is?" Keine said to herself. "Huh. First time for everything, I guess."

* * *

I signaled Kanako to speak.

* * *

"_I am Kanako Yasaka. I hereby pledge my support to Sanae to stand against this threat."_

* * *

I resumed speaking.

* * *

"_Kanako has made the right decision. I ask you all to make the same decision, as it is only together that we can stand against Makai. Anyone who decides to stand with us will be welcomed, regardless of any abilities you may or may not have. We will all be needed if we wish to overcome this threat._

"_I will be sending people throughout Gensokyo. Those who are willing to stand with me, present yourselves to them when they arrive, and they will provide further instructions. We will gather as one force and prepare for the coming battle._

"_Gensokyo itself is at stake. Please lend your assistance in protecting it."_

* * *

"Did I do all right?" I asked.

"I think you did fine," Suwako said.

"You can probably count on Kaguya's support as well as mine," Kanako said. "She should be receptive to the new plan. Remilia's the one I'm concerned about."

"She'll cooperate," Suwako said. "If we and Kaguya are both supporting you, she won't have much of a choice."

"Most likely," Kanako said. "Oh, and we have visitors. They're arriving at the shrine right now."

"You can tell that, then," I remarked.

"This is my shrine. Nobody can be here without me being aware of it. Let's go and greet them, shall we?"

I nodded, and Suwako and I followed Kanako out of the shrine.

There were five people. The one in front had some birdlike features, including wings, and was likely a bird youkai. Behind her was a regal-looking insect girl. To the insect girl's left was a fairy with wings of ice, and to her right was a young-looking blond-haired girl dressed entirely in black. Hanging behind the four was another fairy.

It was the insect girl who captured my attention, and not just because of her regal appearance. She had power; I could tell just by looking at her. _This is a woman who's in control and knows it._

The bird youkai stepped forward. "Lady Kanako, Lady Suwako, Lady Sanae," she said, bowing respectfully to each of us in turn.

"This is unexpected," Kanako remarked. "I believe you're that night sparrow… Mystia, right? And I certainly recognize Cirno."

I noticed that Suwako and this 'Cirno' were staring at each other. _Is there some sort of hostility between these two?_

Kanako continued. "I'm afraid I don't recognize the rest of you, though."

Mystia turned to me. "The Holy Queen of the Night has come to offer her support to your cause."

It wasn't hard to figure out which one of them Mystia was referring to. I looked at the insect girl. "Then please, step forward."

The insect girl motioned Mystia back and approached. "I am Wriggle Nightbug, descendant of Lady Nisus and inheritor of her power and being."

I didn't know what she was talking about, but Kanako and Suwako seemed to. "Nisus?" Kanako said. "That's a name I haven't heard in a very long time. Her line was thought to have died out."

"Her descendants have lived as ordinary youkai. But her power did not die with her. Lady Nisus sealed away her power and being, and it has lain dormant, waiting until a time when one of her line had need of it."

_She's playing a role,_ I realized. _She's someone who's in control and knows it, but the way she's acting now is just an act. And one she seems to be enjoying. I suppose I might as well play along. _"I see," I said. "Your assistance is most welcome. If I may ask, who are your companions?"

As she named them, Wriggle motioned them forward one by one. Most of them seemed to just be tolerating Wriggle's act, but Mystia seemed to be getting in on it herself. Although unlike Wriggle, Mystia looked like she was about to burst out laughing. "Mystia Lorelei is my champion, my chosen warrior. Cirno and Rumia are reincarnations of great powers of the past. And Daiyousei represents the fairies of the lake."

"It is a pleasure," I said. "Allow me, then, to formally introduce myself. I am Sanae Kochiya, divine sovereign over the domain of magic. Your aid is most welcome."

"We are pleased to give it," Mystia said. "There is no enemy that can stand before-" She started laughing.

"Way to ruin the mood, Mystia," Wriggle said.

"I-I'm sorry," Mystia said, still laughing. "It's just-how do you manage to keep a straight face? I mean, 'chosen warrior'? How does calling me a chosen warrior not cause you to laugh?"

"I guess I'm just better at keeping a straight face," Wriggle said.

This was starting to look more like friends hanging out than anything else. _It's not, though._ Her power, her status, her commanding presence, those were all real. "We don't need you to keep a straight face," I said. "You don't need to act different."

"Yeah. It's just fun."

"I see. Well, as I said, your aid is welcome. We're going to need all the help we can get."

* * *

**I think I addressed any remaining questions, anything that might seem to not fit with Orphan being Sanae. If I missed anything, let me know.**

**Koishi's appearance in this chapter was brought to you by ShimmerMist, who named her for his prize for gettin Orphan's identity right.**

**Also, I'm sorry it's been so long between updates. I have a job now, so I have a lot less free time, but I'm still keeping this story going, so don't worry about that.**

**And, of course, reviews are appreciated.**


	19. Chapter 19: The Coming Battle

**Chapter 19  
**_The Coming Battle_

"Seina," Kanako said, "we have visitors. A pair. And given the presence I'm sensing, I'm pretty sure I know who they are. Bring them in, would you?"

"Yes," Seina said, heading outside.

Kanako, Suwako, and I were inside the shrine, discussing the current situation. I, too, had felt the presence. "Who are they?"

"Two people who no doubt have ties to the current situation. I thought they'd show up, although not quite so soon after your little speech."

"Right," I said. "Anyways, you're certain about their support?"

"The tengu and the kappa follow me," Kanako said. "They'll stand with us. And we can make use of them right away. Tengu tend to be very fast; we can use them as our messengers."

"We'll need to get word to them right away," I said. "For now, we'll just tell people to get together with others who are willing to fight. We'll give them further instructions as soon as we can."

"I'll go," Seina said as she reentered the shrine.

"Please do," I said. "Also, tell whoever's going to the human village to find Heida no Akyu. If she's willing to come here herself, that's excellent, but if nothing else, I would like access to her records."

"Got it," Seina said. She motioned the two guests inside, then left.

Kanako and I got to our feet. "Alice, Byakuren," Kanako said, "welcome."

"Hello, Byakuren," I said.

Byakuren approached me. "Orphan. Sanae. I'm sorry I didn't realize who you are when we first met."

"It's not a problem," I said. "I made it here anyways."

"Still, I apologize."

"Your apology is accepted, then," I said. "I assume, however, that that's not the only reason you're here."

"Most certainly," Kanako said, "although I think it's her companion who has the most to say. Sanae, allow me to introduce Alice Margatroid. Alice, it just so happens, is the daughter of Shinki, the ruler of Makai."

"Wait, what?"

Kanako laughed. "Oh, don't worry, she's not here as an enemy. Not when Byakuren's accompanying her. It's Byakuren, after all, who was trying to tell Kaguya, Remilia, and myself to stop attempting to unify Gensokyo under us. She's opposed to Makai's actions, quite clearly."

"I am," Byakuren said. "It is unfortunate that bloodshed is necessary, but I see no other way."

"And you, Alice," I said. "Are you opposing your mother, or is something else going on?"

"My mother is dead," Alice said.

This time, Kanako and Suwako were the ones surprised. "Hold on," Suwako said, "isn't that impossible?"

"Normally, but there was someone who found a way to do it."

"Please elaborate," I said. "You say it should have been impossible to kill her; why is that?"

It was Suwako who answered. "Shinki isn't-_wasn't_-just Makai's ruler. She actually created Makai."

"Oh."

"She is-sorry, _was_-not like us," Kanako said. "She wasn't a god, at least not as we are. Nobody really seems completely certain precisely what she is-or what she was, I guess. She does-did-seem to be at least partially divine, but there was more to her than that. Alice, you're certain she's dead?"

"I am," Alice said. "The ones who killed her are now in charge of Makai. The people have bought their story that Gensokyo is responsible for it."

"Man," Suwako said, "how did they even manage to do it?"

"I assume you remember the attacks on the Hakurei and Moriya shrines five years ago," Byakuren said. "Alice was able to discover that the purpose of those attacks was to use the shrines to access the Hakurei Barrier and channel its energy into Shinki, disrupting her being enough for Netese-the one who led the attempt, and the one who will be leading Makai's army-and her people to kill Shinki."

"How did you learn this, Alice?" I asked.

"Netese explained it to someone who just so happened to be there as a double agent," Alice said.

"Alice and I have been attempting to get to the bottom of what's been going on," Byakuren explained. "We discovered that Shinki was killed for reasons we do not yet know-I suspect that everyone involved has their own reasons-and her death was blamed on Alice. The people of Makai believe that, rather than Alice acting on her own, this was a planned action by Gensokyo. Over the last five years, they've been building up an army in preparation for a retaliatory invasion."

"Hold on," Kanako said. "Are you saying that this entire war is part of a cover up? That just sounds crazy."

"I agree," Byakuren said. "If a cover-up was the only objective, saying that Alice acted alone would have been enough."

"Unless the people thought it was more than that," Suwako said. "It may be that public opinion swept Netese up. That's probably not all of it, though. Some of it, maybe, but not all of it. The rest, well, that I don't know."

"Neither do we. But regardless of the reasons, Makai is going to attack."

"Which is why we need to move fast," I said. "Do you have any idea how long we have before the attack is launched?"

"Two weeks from yesterday," Alice said.

"Not a lot of time."

"Netese is rushing a bit," Alice said. "She's launching the attack early to give you as little time as possible to organize an opposing force. She won't have quite as many people as she originally planned, and last-minute reassignments likely to cause at least some confusion."

"Perhaps, but I expect we'll be face with a formidable force."

Alice nodded. "That is a certainty. It will be a large force; Makai is much larger than Gensokyo, and has a correspondingly larger population. They will have the advantage of numbers, and they've been preparing for the past five years. They will be better organized than any force we can assemble. But we have our own advantages. First, the average demon is notably weaker than the average resident of Gensokyo. Second, Makai's population is far less varied than Gensokyo's; they do not have anywhere near the variety of people and abilities that Gensokyo has."

"We'll need to use those advantages, then," I said.

"Yes, and there is one more. You're aware of how common battle is in Gensokyo, I assume."

I nodded. "It's difficult to miss it."

"Yes. Well, Makai is different. Combat is much rarer in Makai than it is here. It happens, but it's not the norm. In Gensokyo, it is. Most demons haven't fought even once, and it's very rare to find one that's been in more than just a few battles. They may have the advantage of training, but we have the advantage of experience. We know what battle is like. True, our battles generally do not involve much actual risk of death, but they are still battles, and we have that experience. The enemy does not."

"Good," I said, "because we're going to need every edge we can get."

* * *

Akyu was quick to answer the door when she heard the knock, and was not surprised to find that her visitor was a tengu.

"Greetings," the tengu said. "Are you Heida no Akyu?"

"Yes," Akyu said. "Been expecting you."

"Sanae Kochiya requests your assistance in her efforts to repel the coming invasion. She would like for you to join her at the Mor-" the tengu was cut off when Akyu tossed a bag at her.

"Already know," Akyu said as the tengu caught the bag. "Been expecting you. Already said that. Carry that."

"Um…"

"Books. Volumes from my records. Information Sanae has use for. Know everything in them, but she does not. Can answer questions, but she lacks knowledge. May not always know what questions to ask. Having books helpful."

"Right," the tengu said. "Um, well, if you're ready to depart, then follow me."

* * *

"The strategic situation on Makai's end is fairly simple," Alice said. "They'll want to force battle as soon as possible, give us as little time to prepare as they can. They'll come through the portal and head straight for our force."

"What would happen if we attempted an ambush at the portal?" I asked.

"I recommend against it," Alice said. "They'd just come through attacking, and although we'd still have the advantages of power and experience, we'd lose a straight-up fight like that. They'd just keep coming, sending fresh warriors in while ours wore out and became injured and our numbers slowly dwindled. We'll need to fight smart if we want to win this. Use the variety of people and abilities we have here and the fact that we can set up ahead of time to our advantage."

"They'll expect us to have a few things planned, then," I said.

Alice nodded. "They'll some in waves, force us to play our cards one at a time. But we have an advantage. My spy's keeping an eye on them, and while we know they've got scouts in Gensokyo, they don't know that I've been looking into things in Makai. They don't think we have any information on their force."

"That's fortunate," I said.

"Yes. Do keep in mind, however, that we've only seen the two forces currently at the portal. There's no telling how large the others are, so my estimates of how large a combined force we'll face are very rough."

"It's still a lot better than nothing."

"Certainly. Anyways, they'll likely use just a small number of waves, but keep the waves large enough to ensure we play a card in response to each one."

"We won't be able to prepare too many surprises," I said. "Not effective ones, not when they have to be on a scale this large. Setting traps for individuals or small groups is a lot different than setting traps for an army."

"Then we need to prepare as many as we can and hope it's enough."

"More company," Kanako said. "Just one person. A celestial. Yes, I can tell; they have a different sense about them than other youkai."

"Tenshi," Alice said. "No other celestial would involve herself in a war."

"And no other celestial would barge right in like she's in the process of doing."

Sure enough, the newcomer let herself in. For Gensokyo, she didn't look particularly distinctive, with the exception of the fact that she had peaches on her hat. Her sword, though, had a very… strong sense about it. The weapon had power; there was no doubt of that. "Hi," she said, looking at me. "I guess you don't remember me, but we've met. Tenshi Hinanai. I understand you're fighting a war."

* * *

_I am Tenshi Hinanai. I am a celestial, a resident of heaven. And I hate it._

_I ascended to heaven and became a celestial along with the rest of my family. Other celestials basically thought I only ascended because of my family, that I never could have become a celestial on my own. And you know what? Maybe they're right. I don't really care, 'cause I don't like it here anyways._

_Oh, sure, it was fun for a while. No violence, no strife. Some responsibilities, but very little. Constant parties, festivals. Mostly it's just relaxing, and who doesn't dream of a life like that? Hell, even now, I don't object to that. And it's certainly great that nobody ever wants for anything; I'd never say there's anything wrong with that. No, what I have a problem with is the boredom, the monotony. Life in heaven is always the same, and yes, it took a couple hundred years, but eventually, I just grew sick of it. I don't know how all the other celestials can stand it._

_I started watching what was transpiring in Gensokyo-yes, we can do that. Life in Gensokyo was clearly far more interesting than life in heaven. Sure, everyone up here-except me, of course-is happy, whereas that's not true in Gensokyo, but Gensokyo was just so interesting. Hell, you could get into a fight pretty much whenever you wanted just by going for a walk in the woods. And then, of course, there were the incidents._

_I watched as the vampire Remilia Scarlet spread her mist over Gensokyo. I watched as the ghost princess Yuyuko Saigyouji stole spring, which I didn't even know was possible. I watched as the lunar princess Kaguya Houraisan replaced the moon. I watched all of them. Someone would do something, and inevitably, the shrine maiden Reimu Hakurei and the witch Marisa Kirisame would come to stop whoever it was, sometimes with the aid of others. And I wanted in. So I caused an incident of my own._

_I wield the Sword of Hisou, which grants me power over the weather. Using it, I spread a mist of my own over Gensokyo. This mist interacted with people to cause weather patterns around that person. For example, the mist caused the weather around Reimu to always be sunny, whereas around Marisa there was always a light rain, and around Yuyuko it was always snowing. And to ensure that I drew Reimu's attention-she can be pretty lazy, and sometimes it's quite some time before she decides to actually take action-I hit her shrine with a localized earthquake, bringing it down. Such a thing didn't affect the border, of course-that's linked to the shrine's spiritual properties, not its physical ones-but it did get Reimu moving. And the mist alone was enough to get many others moving. The oni Suika Ibuki, who apparently just wandered into heaven one day while drunk-which she always is-actually gave me a hand with that, although not until after giving me one hell of a good fight. She's strong, too; I didn't even hold back against her, and I still lost (although it could have easily gone the other way, and a later fight between us did). Not that I mind; I only care about it being a good fight, and that one was a very good fight._

_I ended up in a lot of fights, although I did hold back in most of them. I knew how these incidents worked: as soon as Reimu and Marisa beat whoever was responsible, that person put an end to it. And I had no intention of messing up Gensokyo's weather indefinitely. So I let Reimu and everyone else who showed up win, although I did make them all work for it. And after the incident, I helped Reimu rebuild her shrine, only for the youkai Yukari Yakumo to randomly show up, destroy it, and fight me. That was another fight I lost even without holding back._

_It didn't end with all of that. Suika told me it was a party to celebrate the restoration of the shrine, even though that hadn't happened yet. I thought she was just looking for an excuse to have a party. Parties with even one oni are far more interesting than the parties I was used to, though, so I went along with it._

_As it turns out, Suika was telling everyone she invited that it was a 'beat-the-crap-out-of-Tenshi' party, so everyone who showed up challenged me right away. Too bad for them I didn't hold back that time. Even Suika lost. Yukari didn't show up, though, so I didn't get a rematch against her. Reimu didn't show up, either, so I went to her-which, incidentally, is when I learned that Suika was telling everyone to come beat me up. We ended up fighting, and I won that time around, although Reimu keeps insisting that during that fight _she_ was holding back. But whatever._

_I haven't caused any more trouble since then. I have been visiting Gensokyo more and more, and, of course, many of those visits include battle, which is kind of an everyday thing in Gensokyo. It's part of what makes the place so interesting. I don't think the other celestials really like the fact that I'm spending so much time in Gensokyo, but I don't really care what they think._

_No, I'm not glad a war's about to happen. A lot of people are going to die. But yes, I want to participate in it, and yes, I'm looking forward to it. Yeah, it'd be better if there wasn't a war, but there's nothing I can do to stop it, so why shouldn't I enjoy it?_

* * *

"I'd recommend the Barrens," Tenshi said. "Big expanse of nothing, and far enough from anything else that collateral damage won't be an issue. But it's close enough to the portal to Makai to entice the enemy to meet us head-on."

"You've been thinking about this," I noted.

"Well, yeah. It's not every day you see a war. Not in Gensokyo, at least. There hasn't been one here since before the barrier went up."

"Are you actually looking forward to it?"

"Also yes. Sure, it'd be better if there wasn't one, but there is one, and I can't stop it, so what's wrong with that?"

I decided not to address that particular comment. "Well, your aid is most welcome. We'll need everyone we can-"

Kanako cut in. "Someone's here. Two people. Probably Akyu and her escort."

"Wait," Tenshi said, "Akyu?"

"If I'm going to come up with a battle plan," I said, "I'm going to need all the information I can get."

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. Well, I'm not so much the strategic-thinking type, so I'll let you handle that part."

Akyu walked in at that moment, the tengu behind her looking exasperated. "I-I-I'm sorry, Lady Kanako. I tried to tell her to be respectful, but-"

"Do not worry about it," Kanako said. "Thank you for bringing her. You may go."

"Yes, my lady." The tengu bowed, handed Akyu the bag she was carrying, then left.

Akyu came straight to me. "Orphan. Sanae. Learned who you are."

"I did," I said. "Thank you for your assistance."

"Provided little assistance."

"It was still some, and I got to where I needed to go."

"True." Akyu held out the bag. "Brought reference texts. Should help you come up with plan. Have specific questions, ask me. Want to see what all there is, look through references yourself."

"Thank you," I said. "Time is short, so let's get started right away."

* * *

"We'll be moving in twelve days," Netese said. "Readiness estimate?"

"The transition's going fairly smoothly," Malachi said. "Of course, all my force really has to do is get an order of advance worked out. We aren't the ones who'll have to deal with shuffled assignments and missing people and the like. We weren't getting anyone more in the first place. And we've got the full two weeks to work with. We'll be more ready than any of the other forces. Although we aren't as large as the force we're replacing."

"You'll actually be taking Aroa's place in the offensive. Her force will replace Kanth's in the second wave, as it's about the same size, and yours will fill in for her in the final wave. Your lack of numbers won't be quite as significant that way, as it will be a smaller fraction of the total."

Malachi nodded. "Yeah, that works."

"Good."

* * *

"Since Akyu's arrival yesterday," I said, "I've gone over her information, and I think I have a plan, although I do have some missing pieces to fill in when it comes to the execution."

In the room with me were Kanako, Suwako, and Seina. Alice and Byakuren were also present, having remained at the shrine overnight, and the same was true of Akyu. Tenshi had departed for night, but she was currently present, having returned in the morning. Wriggle's team had done the same, spending the night in a cave on the mountain.

"Specify," Akyu said. "Will answer questions of how."

"Let me go over it all," I said. "First, a general concern: surveillance. I need a way to keep watch over the entire battlefield. Having lookouts in the air is one thing, but I'd rather have some way to keep watch over the entire area."

"I can do that," Wriggle said. "I will keep the area under watch."

Wriggle had given me a summary of the abilities of herself and her friends. "That will aid you in the task I have planned for you, but it's not quite what I'm looking for. I want some method where I can view the battlefield as a whole."

"The tengu reporters," Kanako said. "We can have them take pictures."

"A good idea, but they'd then need to get the pictures to me."

"Spirit photography," Akyu said. "Hatate Himikaido."

"Spirit photography?"

"Hatate can take pictures of anything there's already a picture of," Kanako explained. "The other reporters can spread out and take pictures of the battle, and then Hatate can copy them and show them to you. A good idea, Akyu."

"Get word to the tengu as soon as you can," I said. "I'll also want people in the air to take out any enemy scouts. And preferably some way to hide ours so that the enemy can't do the same. I'm already planning to talk to the kappa; I'll see if they have any spare optical camouflage suits the tengu scouts can use."

"What about the actual plan?" Tenshi asked. "Let's get to that."

"I was about to."

* * *

"_Step one: concealing an aerial force. I want to be able to fly a force in from above without it being seen. But whatever we use to hide it needs to look natural. I'm thinking a cloud cover is the best option. Tenshi?"_

"_Easy. I'll need some time to build it up in a way that looks natural, though."_

"_Begin the process whenever you need to."_

"_I'll do that."_

"_Good. Okay, here's the tricky part. The force can't just fly in from above the clouds; the enemy's sure to be keeping an eye out up there. The force will have to move in within the clouds, and they'll need to know where they're going without emerging above or below the clouds for even a brief look."_

"_They'll be able to stick together and move within the clouds," Kanako said. "We just need a marker of some kind where we want them to stop. I imagine you could take care of that."_

"_I could, but a magical mark would be too detectable."_

"_The magic of Makai is different from the magic found here," Alice said, "but yes, I imagine they'd detect it easily."_

"_Normal object," Akyu said. "Keep it airborne, use locator to direct force to location."_

"_Nazrin," Byakuren said. "She can do that."_

* * *

Shou and Nazrin emerged to greet Byakuren as she landed in front of the temple. "Welcome back, lady Hijiri," Shou said. "How are things going?"

"The plan seems to be coming together. Actually, I'm here right now because I'd like to request the assistance of the two of you."

"Of course," Shou said. "What do you need of us?"

"We're going to hide a surprise-attack force within a cloud cover, but we need some way to guide them to the desired location. Shou, you will take position within the clouds. Nazrin, you'll be with the force. When you get the signal, lead the force into the clouds. Locate Shou's pagoda and use that to lead the force to her position."

"Sure," Nazrin said. "Not a problem."

"Once the force receives the signal to attack, you two can leave."

"We won't," Shou said. "We'll come find you."

"I thought you say that. That will be just fine."

* * *

"_Second issue: concealing a ground force. I want to be able to move a force into the path of the enemy without them being seen."_

"_The kappa have their optical camouflage suits," Kanako said, "although I don't know if they have quite that many, especially if we're using some of them for the tengu scouts."_

"_We'll use whatever they have."_

* * *

Seina entered the workshop. _Jeez, Nitori, clean the place up for_ "Wah!" She slipped on a puddle of grease and fell, but kept herself from hitting the ground by quickly floating herself a few inches above the floor.

Nitori's voice came from the back. "Be careful! There's oil and grease and stuff all over the floor!"

"Yeah," Seina said, "I noticed."

Nitori, like many on the mountain, knew Seina's voice. "Ah!" the kappa exclaimed shortly before racing out of the back. "Lady Seina! I didn't know you'd be com-ah!" She slipped on the grease as Seina had, but unlike Seina, she didn't act in time to keep from hitting the ground.

_Does she ever wash herself off?_ Seina wondered as Nitori got to her feet. _She just fell into a puddle of grease on the floor, and I think it's the floor that got dirtier._ "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Well, I've been keeping busy, but don't worry about it. How can I help you?"

"How many working optical camouflage suits do you have made, and could you have any more ready within the next twelve days?"

* * *

"_I'll go see what Nitori has as soon as we're done here," Seina said, "but I think Kanako's right; we'll probably need more."_

"_Then we'll need an additional means of concealment. Akyu?"_

"_Sunny Milk. Can control light. Able to hide herself and others from sight. However, power is limited. Can only hide so many."_

"_We can use her in combination with whatever the kappa have."_

"_I'll talk to her," Cirno said. "I know her group. I don't think she'll come without Luna and Star, though."_

"_That's acceptable."_

* * *

"Oh," Sunny said, "you want the three of us to help play a trick on the Makai people?"

Cirno nodded. "There's going to be a group of people we don't want them to see. We can hide some of them, but not enough."

"Sounds like fun," Luna said.

"Okay," Sunny said, "we'll do it. They won't see or hear anything."

"No noise cancelling," Cirno said. "There's going to be a lot of stuff making noise; a silence could give you away."

"We're still coming with her," Luna said.

"I thought you would."

* * *

"_The later waves will likely be the larger ones," Alice said. "They'll draw out our ambushes with the first forces, then come in and overwhelm us. We'll need something capable of countering that."_

"_And I have something in mind. I'll see to setting this one up myself."_

"_What are you thinking?" Kanako asked._

"_I'm going to pay a visit to the underground."_

* * *

"Well," Yuugi said, "I don't know that I'd call myself a leader of the oni-Satori's the one in charge down here-but yeah, I can take a leadership role for this. The title of Deva does still command some respect, after all. Not that you'd have any difficulty down here without me; I don't think there's a single oni who doesn't plan to join the fight."

"That's good to hear," I said. "We'll need everyone we can get. For you, though, I was more thinking of having you lead an oni force during the battle. If you're right about how many will be joining the fight, then we should have plenty to put within our main force, but I'll want most of them in a concentrated force."

"With me leading them. That's not a problem. Might be if it was another oni-there'd be fights over who got to lead-but nobody's going to deny that position to a Deva. As far as getting us all to come, well, as I said, that won't be a problem. You might want to speak to Satori anyways, though; she is technically in charge down here."

"I was planning to," I said.

"I see. All right, then. You go talk to her, and we'll handle things down here. We'll probably be ready within just a couple days. And, Orphan? Or, um, Sanae?"

"Use whichever name you prefer."

"Right. Well, this isn't really related to why you're here, but… well, um, thank you. For Parsee."

_Ah, of course._ "I did very little."

"You did enough."

"I said thinks that I imagine you've already said. I just hit her in emphasis."

"Something that you'd really expect an oni to think of. That was after an extended battle between you two, though."

"I don't think that helped."

"Well, regardless, what you said after hitting her did help. It wasn't any sort of quick resolution or anything; this isn't fiction. But after you pushed her, she took the first step. There are still some, um, issues, but that's for me to worry about. You've done enough. And for what you did, thank you."

* * *

As before, there was no need for me to speak. "An interesting plan," Satori said. "Risky, but you know that. Tricky, too, but again, it would seem as though you have everything thought out. Timing it right, though, will not be easy. There's the preparation delay, of course, and you'll also need to get the signal through-ah, but it seems you've thought of that, too. Very well, then. I won't deny that I have certain… reservations about this plan, but I will agree to it."

_Thank you._

"You're welcome. You can return to the surface. Yuugi and I will take care of things down here."

* * *

"_We'll need to coordinate our forces," Byakuren said. "We'll need signals of some sort."_

"_General signals are easy. I'm more worried about instances where we don't want highly visible signals. I'd rather not use communication magic; the enemy may be able to detect it."_

"_Nitori may have something," Seina said. "I'll be sure to mention that when I go talk to her."_

"_Good. Kanako, get word to the tengu messengers. Find a good spot in the Barrens for a field headquarters, and tell them to lead everyone who's willing to fight to that location. All of you rendezvous there, as well. I'll head there as soon as I'm done underground, and we'll start putting our forces together."_

* * *

The sudden frenzied activity took Netese by surprise. "Report!" she ordered the nearest guard as she ran outside.

"Maorol's force is here," the guard said.

"Good for them. What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know. I only know it's Maorol's force because I caught sight of him. My job is to stay right here."

"A fair point. I'll have to find someone who does know, then. Remain at your post."

"Understood," the guard said as Netese rushed off.

The commotion was easy to spot, and Netese headed towards it. Before long, she spotted Maorol, who was on the ground at the edge of the camp, speaking with Malachi. "Maorol, Malachi, report," she said as she approached the pair. "What's going on?"

Maorol gave a bow. "Lady Netese. One of our scouts found a spy."

"A spy?"

"Apparently, she was sneaking around quite close to the camp," Malachi said. "Close enough that I'm very surprised nobody saw her."

"With all due respect," Maorol said, "your guard is… lacking. My patrols have been far more intensive."

"And you didn't cut them even so close to here," Netese said. "I see you're just as paranoid as ever. Not that I'm complaining. Did you get a look at this spy?"

Maorol nodded. "I did, and she was… well, she'd look fairly normal if she didn't appear artificial."

"Artificial. Like a doll?"

"Yes. Like a doll. You think she's a tsukumogami?"

"Similar, at least," Netese said. "I don't know how she was made, but I think I have a fairly good idea of who made her."

"Alice," Malachi said.

"Indeed."

"Then Nekiei is dead."

"I had assumed as much, given that I had not heard anything from her. I already suspected that Alice had defeated her ambush; this simply provides additional evidence of that."

"I'm surprised we didn't at least hear of the failure, though."

"Alice must have wiped them all out," Netese said.

"Which she likely couldn't have managed unless she was ready. Looks like it was a trap."

"She used Shanghai, then," Netese said. "Alice must have been aware of what Shanghai was seeing and hearing. Shanghai, of course, didn't know that Alice could still do that even after bringing her to life."

Malachi sighed. "Netese, hasn't it occurred to you that Shanghai might have been faking the entire thing?"

"She wasn't lying," Netese said. "She couldn't have fooled me."

"If I may," Maorol said, "could I ask to be filled in? What has been happening with Shinki's daughter?"

"Well," Netese said, "a few days ago, one of my guards was approached by…"

* * *

The army of rabbits approaching from the bamboo forest was hard to miss, so I knew of their approach to our camp. And I was not very surprised when a trio flew ahead of them. Nor was I surprised to find, when I went to meet this trio, that it included Eirin and Kaguya. I hadn't expected Mokou, though; even if she was getting along better with Kaguya now, I wouldn't have expected her to be helping lead the lunar princess's army.

"Welcome," I said. "Thank you for giving me your support in this."

"Hey, I don't want Gensokyo to get taken over," Kaguya said, "and you're doing a better job of getting an army together than I was. Besides, I owe you one for Mokou."

"I did little," I said. "I merely pointed out something that she really should have realized by herself."

"But I hadn't," Mokou said. "You helped me realize what I needed to do, and I thank you for that."

"As do I," Eirin said. "The two of them have been getting along much better. There've only been three killings between them since that night-and yes," she continued upon seeing the look on my face, "that's an improvement."

"Right," I said. "Anyways, let's get to business. Makai's force is scheduled to move nine days from now, and we need to be ready."

"Yes," Eirin said. "I apologize that it took us so long to mobilize, but we had some work to do."

"It's not a problem. You have a force that's actually trained as a unified force."

"Not as much as Makai's force likely has been," Eirin said. "It was never a very intensive program, although it has been going on for much longer than Makai's. We've been worried mainly about raids from the moon, not fighting a war. But yes, our force is trained as a unified force. And our training program improved after Udonge arrived; she was able to update us on modern training procedures, some of which were downgrades and thus ignored. Some were actually improvements, though, so we integrated those into the program."

"That's good," I said. "As you might be expecting, I'll want your force to be in our main force. We'll use it as the core of the force and fill in around it. If we spread disciplined soldiers throughout the rest of the force, it should help with coordination and general operation; everyone can just follow the rabbits' example."

"I wouldn't call them 'soldiers'," Eirin said, "but yes, that sounds like a good plan. What sort of numbers are we seem to have a visitor."

I turned around to see Alice approaching. "Sanae," she said as she landed.

"Alice. What is it?"

"My spy was discovered. One of the enemy's forces got lucky."

"I see," I said. "What is her status?"

"She has evaded pursuit and is en route to the location of my portal. The enemy will be on guard now; I don't think she'll be able to get close enough to tell us much any longer. I will open the portal when she arrives-it will always open between Mekis and my house, no matter where I am when I use the spellcard, so I can do so from here."

"All right," I said. "Thank you for informing me."

"You're welcome," Alice said as she flew off.

I turned back to Eirin. "Sorry about that. Now, where were we?"

* * *

"This is all crazy," Seina said. "Have I mentioned that before?"

"About fifty times," Kanako said. "Today."

"Well, it's crazy. We're at the head of Gensokyo's first army, and the leader is my mother, who I thought had died before I was even conceived, which is kind of crazy itself."

"This is Gensokyo," Kanako said. "You may not appreciate just how crazy this place is, since you never lived in the outside world as I did, but believe me, crazy is normal here."

"Well, yeah, but an army is normal in the outside, and if crazy is normal, then normal is crazy, right?"

"I suppose you may have a point," Kanako said.

"Oh, and there's also the fact that you're working under your former shrine maiden, who's now a god herself. That's not normal anywhere."

"Stop chatting," Suwako said as she entered the room. "Sanae needs today's numbers. You've got them, right?"

Seina laughed. "Since when are you ever serious?"

"Since long before you were born," Kanako said. "She was a ruling deity herself once, you know. And yes, Suwako, we have the numbers. Fewer new recruits, but that's to be expected. Most of the interested people are already here, you know."

"Any additional people is a good thing," Suwako said. "the more we have, the better."

"We have the tengu and kappa," Seina said, "and the rabbits, and Sanae's secured the cooperation of the oni, as well. I think we're doing well."

"Yes," Suwako said, "but still, we need everyone we can get. Makai's been preparing for this for the past five years, you know. We're going to need everything we have to win this."

"I know," Seina said. "Okay, then, let's get the numbers to Sanae."

* * *

"Man," Sunny said, "I didn't know it was this serious. Cirno made it sound like you just wanted me to help play a trick on Makai."

"I suppose you could describe it that way," I said. "And she didn't tell you the rest because she didn't actually know it."

"Okay, sure."

"Can you do it, Sunny?"

Sunny thought for a moment. "Yeah. I've never done anything that wide before, but if this is really what you say it is, then yes, I can do it."

"Good."

"Can Luna and Star be with me when I do that?"

I nodded. "Just make sure they're looking away until you have your effect in place."

* * *

"With you here, Alozel," Netese said, "the only forces left are Mor's and Takline's. And Kanth's, but we'll be moving before his arrives."

"Who's replacing him?" the force leader asked. "Malachi?"

"Aroa, actually, and Malachi's replacing Aroa. The numbers work out better that way."

"I see," Alozel said. "We're moving in six days, correct?"

Netese nodded. "Mor should be here within the next two days, and Takline late in the evening two days later. Which gives us the next day to integrate our forces before moving the day after that. So yes."

"Not much time for integration," Alozel remarked.

"True, but everyone already knows their assignments. The ones we're changing already know and are adjusting, so they'll be ready. Yes, we would benefit from more time, but not as much as the enemy."

"I know. We may not quite be in optimal condition, but we will be victorious. That, I do not doubt."

* * *

"Okay," I said, "Makai's force will be here in three days. What do we do when they begin coming through?"

I was in the 'headquarters' tent of our encampment. With me were Kanako, Suwako, and Seina. Nitori was present, too, and Wriggle and Mystia were there as well. Also present were Tenshi, Yuugi, Sunny, Hatate, Byakuren, Eirin, Kaguya, Mokou, and the wolf tengu Momiji Inubashiri.

"The scouts see them come through and come here to report," Hatate said. "We bring them all in, get them fitted in optical camouflage suits, and send them out, cameras ready. Since we're using those 'digital' cameras from Kourindou, film isn't an issue, and a digital photo is good enough for my spirit photography."

"We give the signal to assemble as the scouts head back out," I said. "We assemble the force, and I give a basic before-the-battle speech. When the enemy is sighted, we give the signal. Kanako?"

"Everyone's learned the various signals," Kanako said, "including the fall back and retreat signals. And if anyone forgets any of them, well, there'll be enough others around who remember. I give the signal to advance, and we advance and meet the enemy in battle."

"It's our signal, too," Momiji said. "We wait at the mountain-we've already confirmed the signal will be easily seen from there. When we see the signal, we pass within the clouds."

"Shou goes up with the scouts," Byakuren said. "She heads into the clouds and stays in one spot. Nazrin is at the mountain with the tengu, and she leads them through the clouds to Shou's position. They remain with the tengu until the next signal."

"Which I give when the second force is approaching," Kanako said.

"I get rid of the clouds as soon as Kanako gives the second signal," Tenshi said.

"The dissipation of the clouds signals us," Momiji said, "as well will be unable to see Kanako's signal while within the clouds. We strike from the skies. We target the second force, weakening it as much as we can before it reaches the battle, at which time we pursue them into the fight."

"Yes," I said. "Nitori?"

"We split into two groups, Laqara leading one and Aloris leading the other. I go with Aloris's team, which is equipped with optical camouflage."

"I'm with Laqara," Sunny said.

"We move into concealed positions as soon as the assembly signal is given," Nitori continued, "and we stay there in case any enemy scouts get through our anti-scouts."

"Which they won't if we can help it," Mokou said.

"We stay hidden anyways," Nitori said, "just in case. After Kanako's second signal, Sunny does her thing and we turn on the camo, and we move into position, waiting on either side so that the third enemy force passes between us. When Kanako gives signal number three, we open fire, hitting them from both sides as they reach the main battlefield. Then we charge into battle ourselves."

"I don't," Sunny said.

"That's correct," I said. "Suwako?"

"They're ready," Suwako said. "When it's time, I'll pass down and give Yuugi the go-ahead."

"Yeah," Nitori said, "I'm sorry my communicators don't work through that much ground."

"No problem," Suwako said. "Your stuff can do most of what we need, and where it can't, I've got things covered."

"You're not as fast, though. How'll you get the timing right?"

"I've made some alterations to the land at several points along the route between the portal and here. I'll know whenever an enemy force reaches one of these points. It's not something that would work with individuals, but with the numbers we're going to be facing, the cumulative effect is more than enough."

"Are you sure that'll work?"

"We've tested it," I said. "It works. Yuugi, that brings us to the underground team."

"We wait until Suwako says go," Yuugi said, "then we go."

"Correct. Wriggle?"

"Mystia, Cirno, and Rumia are with me," Wriggle said. "I conduct a search through insects, identifying any demons that seem to have above-average power. When I find one, we go in and take it out. And I keep a close watch for any enemy squads that appear to be doing the same thing and prioritize them."

"Hatate?"

"I stay with you," Hatate said. "I rotate through the scouts with spirit photography and show you their pictures."

"Mokou?"

"Myself, Kaguya, and the other selected individuals stay in the air and take out any enemy scouts we see," Mokou said. "We also defend our own scouts if the camo malfunctions or the enemy is otherwise able to locate any of them."

"Eirin?"

"Field medicine," Eirin said. "My medics get to, pull back, and treat as many of our injured as we can, bringing them to me if it's something they can't handle on their own."

"Sounds like we know our jobs," I said. "That's good. We'll go over them again before the enemy arrives, but for now, you're all dismissed.

* * *

"All right," Netese told the assembled force leaders, "we move tomorrow. Everyone knows their new spots in the order of advance, correct?" There was a general murmur of assent. "Good. Does anyone have any concerns that have not yet been brought up with me?" Silence. "Also good.

"Remember, we will be facing more resistance than we originally expected, our force is still more than strong enough to win. The enemy is likely to rely on ambushes and other tricks, so don't let any such surprises throw you off balance. We'll proceed in the assigned groups, drawing out their surprises and wiping them out. It may be a fight, but we will emerge victorious."

* * *

"It'll happen tomorrow," Cirno said, "won't it?"

Rumia nodded. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Are you? I'm not the one who can die, you know. Do you really want to put yourself in that much danger?"

"I've made up my mind," Rumia said. "Don't worry; I'm just as much stronger as you are now, remember? And besides, you'll be there to make sure I'm all right, won't you?"

"Yeah," Cirno said. "I will."

* * *

"I will go along with this plan as I said before," Satori told me, "but I want to be present for it."

I was actually going to ask her to be there, so there wasn't any issue with that. "Good," Satori said. "Your preparations are complete, then? Yes, I see that they are. Good. And the area is large enough? Yes, that should be just right."

_Thank you for doing this, Satori._

"Gensokyo is my home, too. I do not want Makai's invasion to succeed, so I will do all I can to stop it."

* * *

"You can still back out, Mystia," Wriggle said.

"So can you. But I'm not going to any more than you are."

"Yeah," Wriggle said. "Just stay close to me, all right?"

"You should really be more confident in your 'champion'."

Wriggle chuckled. "Well, maybe. But this is something none of us have experienced before."

"Are you worried?"

"Of course, and if you're not, you're a moron."

"Oh? What happened to 'nobody can stand against me'? Isn't this the part where you say that all your enemies are doomed to failure?"

"Too tense," Wriggle said.

"Yeah, I guess I can understand that. Well, I'll stick with you, Wriggle."

"Thanks, Mystia."

* * *

The scout entered the 'headquarters' tent a little after noon. "They're coming," he said. "The scouts are returning here as instructed."

"Good," I said. "You go get your own gear."

"Yes, ma'am," the scout said as he ran out.

I got to my feet. "Kanako, Suwako, Seina, let's go."

The four of us exited the tent. "Kanako," I said, "give the signal to assemble. It's time."

* * *

**I hope all those scene changes weren't too confusing. I tried to mention which day it was whenever it changed. If there's a new scene without a mention of the day, that means it's the same day as in the previous scene.**

**Also, Tenshi's backstory scene is the final such scene of the story, as I really don't think it would work well to try and fit one in during the battle.**

**Anyways, the big battle is here. Yes, this means the story is nearing its end, but don't worry; I have another one I'll be starting once this one has finished. Until then, enjoy the rest of this one.**

**And as always, reviews are appreciated.**


	20. Chapter 20: Battle

**Chapter 20  
**_Battle_

"It's kind of odd, you know," Seina said. "Reimu and Marisa are usually involved in every major incident, and yet they aren't here for one of the biggest events in Gensokyo's history."

"This isn't your ordinary incident," Kanako said. "This is a war. I'm not surprised they aren't here. Reimu, at least, I believe is at the human village, in case someone decides to take advantage of the fact that much of its population is here. And I think Marisa's there, too."

Reimu had reappeared three days after I'd announced my intentions to Gensokyo. It turned out that she had been in Makai the entire time, pursuing a group of demons that she had believed to be responsible for the attacks. The demons, meanwhile, had been deliberately leading her on as a diversion. Worried when Reimu entered Makai that she'd discover the plan, Netese had sent them to distract her. But they ceased their diversion, presumably because their plan had been figured out anyways.

"I would have liked to have them here," I said, "if only for their capabilities in battle, but I understand that leaving the human village completely undefended is a bad idea. I doubt Makai will attack it-it's us they need to take out-but wild youkai may very well try something. And it would probably be a bad idea to have Reimu here, anyways, given that the barrier is apparently tied to the Hakurei maiden."

"Yeah," Seina said, "I guess that's true."

Suwako landed beside us. "It looks like everyone's present."

"Then raise a platform," I said.

Suwako nodded, and the earth under us rose, forming a platform a few feet higher than the surrounding land. I stepped forward to speak to the assembled force before us, and as I spoke, Kanako carried my words on the wind so that the entire force could hear me.

"It's time," I said. "The enemy is approaching. They will be here shortly, and we will meet them in battle. They are an invasion force, one that is invading our home, and it falls to us to stop them.

"I won't lie to you; this will not be easy. The enemy outnumbers us greatly, and they have been preparing for the past five years. But the enemy soldiers do not match us in power, nor do they have the array of abilities that we do. It will not be easy, but we can win this fight. We will win, because our home is at stake."

I pointed out over the force. "They come!"

* * *

Netese and her guard passed through the portal behind the initial force, but they remained behind as the force advanced. A few others remained behind as well, and Netese approached one of them. "Report."

"Force one is through and advancing," the demon said.

"Our scouts are in the air, I assume."

"They are, but they're encountering difficulties. The enemy has forces in the air to interfere with them."

"Which is why we sent an escort. That, and to do the same to the enemy's scouts."

"Which brings me to another problem. We can't find their scouts."

"You can't find them?"

"No enemy scouts have been sighted."

"They surely have scouts in the air," Netese said. "They are simply magically concealed. It's not something the magic of Makai can do, but it seems that Gensokyo's can."

"We thought of that, my lady," the demon said, "but our magicians can't detect any such magic. If the enemy does have scouts in the air, they are concealed in some other manner."

"Very well, then," Netese said. "We'll simply have to assume they're watching us. It shouldn't matter. Let me know immediately if that situation changes."

"Yes, my lady."

* * *

Our force stood as the enemy approached. I could tell there was anxiety, and some members clearly wanted to advance immediately, but the force held position.

The core of the army was the rabbit force from Eientei. Led by a rabbit named Tewi, the rabbits were spread throughout the combined force. They knew how to work as part of such a force, and they would serve as guides and examples for the rest of the force, which consisted of people from all across Gensokyo. The tengu, kappa, and oni had their separate forces with specific roles in the battle, but there were still members of those races left for the main force, especially kappa. There were humans, too, and also large numbers of assorted youkai from all across Gensokyo. It was a hastily assembled force, but hopefully it would be enough.

Kanako, Suwako, and Seina remained with me, as did Alice, and Hatate was there as well, showing me the images from our scouts.

"It's time," I said. "Kanako, give the signal… now."

* * *

Momiji, of course, would not have had difficulty seeing the signal anyways, but this signal was one that almost anyone would be able to see. It was an impressive-looking, skyward-aimed blast, but there was no force behind it, no real power. It was simply something that was highly visible. If there had been force behind it, Momiji knew, it would have taken someone with one _hell_ of a lot of power, but with no actual force within any of it, such a thing was easy to do, even with something that visually impressive.

Momiji turned to the mouse youkai beside her. "That's the signal. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready," Nazrin said. "I have Shou's location."

"Right." Momiji turned to face her force. "Remember, remain in the clouds at all times. Nazrin, point me in the right direction. Let's move!"

* * *

At the signal, the army charged, and the Makai force rushed forward to meet it. Blasts were exchanged as the forces closed, but they were moving quickly enough that there was little opportunity for this before the forces met.

"The next force is coming through the portal," Hatate said, showing me the images.

"You're more familiar with the tengu than I am. Are they in position?"

"Easily," Hatate said. "We're quick. Nazrin's slower, but one of them was going to carry her, so that's not an issue. They're in position."

"Good."

* * *

"Esi, Slei, Oeis," Tewi cried out as she creamed a demon with her mallet, "back in formation!"

The three rabbit soldiers returned to their position behind Tewi, backing up to her and firing out from the rear of the triangular formation. "Ready!" Esi said.

"Good. Squad, forward!"

Tewi's squad advanced, and an enemy squad diverted to meet them. Tewi grinned. "Box charge to resist penetration. Good. Shift… now!"

As the enemy approached, Tewi's squad executed a quick and well-rehearsed shift, changing from a triangular formation to a rhombus. The enemy squad didn't have time to adjust before they met, leaving the new point of Tewi's charge unopposed on the enemy's flank.

The enemy's surprise gave Tewi's squad an additional advantage, which they were quick to exploit. As the point folded into the enemy's formation, Tewi led the rest of her squad straight in.

* * *

"How's it look?" Aloris asked. "Can you fix it?"

"Of course I can fix it," Nitori said, not even looking up from her work. "I just don't know if I'll have enough time to."

The kappa teams had split up and concealed themselves as planned. Aloris's team was hiding under a rock outcropping Suwako had made for them the day before. They would be able to see the signals, but it was very unlikely that any enemy scouts would be able to see them.

"Do your best," Aloris said. "If my camo suit's not working, I'll have to stay here."

"You're the leader," Nitori said. "You have to go. Take someone else's suit."

"I'm only the leader because I've worked with Kanako and Suwako before. And Laqara's the other leader because of her past jobs for Suwako."

"And because of her magical talents."

"True, but I don't have those. I'm only here because they knew I'd do the job."

"So do it, even if you have to use someone else's suit."

"Everyone else'll be of more value once the fighting starts than me. I can't replace one of-"

"Gotcha!" Nitori exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"It's good to go," Nitori said. "I fixed it. Didn't think that would work, but it did."

"What did you do?"

"Well, I thought I was going to have to reconfigure the epidermal matrix adapter, but-"

Aloris just held out her hand. "Yeah, um, never mind. I'd rather not have my head hurt for the rest of the day."

"Suit yourself," Nitori said, handing her the suit. Then she laughed.

Aloris sighed. "I should hit you for that pun."

* * *

"Force two is through," Netese said. "Report," she ordered a demon. That demon, Oros, was a magician acting as a relay for the scouts. She had placed an enchantment upon the scouts' eyes, allowing her to see what they saw. Gensokyo's magic couldn't do such a thing, but Makai's could.

"The battle's going as expected," Oros said.

"Any sign of enemy scouts?"

"No. No visual sign, and no magic has been used."

"Then they're getting their information to Orphan in some other way."

"And concealing themselves, and very well. We should assume they have scouts in the air over us, as well as over the battle."

"Yes," Netese said, "but then, our plan already allows for that." She turned to another demon. "Signal the second force to advance."

* * *

As before, Hatate showed me the relevant images as she spoke. "It looks like the second force is moving," she said.

"Okay," I said. "Keep tracking it. Kanako, get ready to give the signal."

"Just tell me when," Kanako said.

Mokou wrapped a whip of flame around a demon and pulled it close. She ran a sword of flame through its chest, gave it an uppercut to the chin, and released it to fall to the ground.

Two demons flew at Mokou, who met their charge. At the last second, the two demons pulled apart, holding a thin band of energy between them. Mokou cut through it with blades of fire, only to find herself ensnared by one from behind. As it wrapped itself around her, Mokou ignored the pain it was causing and burned through it.

One of the demons came at Mokou, and she met its charge with flame before knocking it out and tossing it to the ground. Then she heard a noise behind her. She spun around to see Kaguya holding the second demon, which she'd trapped in magical chains. "Come on, Mokou," she said, "really? You're better than that. I should know."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mokou replied. "Do please forgive me, your highness."

"Oh, cram it. You really should have seen the back attack coming."

"My only opponent for hundreds of years has been you. So yeah, I'm a little rusty when it comes to something like this. I haven't had the possibility of lunar raids to worry about being ready for."

"Whatever. There's a scout over there with three demons in escort positions."

"Easy," Mokou said. "Let's go."

* * *

"Okay, Kanako," I said, "send the second signal… now."

* * *

"About damn time," Tenshi said to herself as she saw the signal. Like the first signal, it was a powerless but visually impressive blast. All of Kanako's signals were such blasts; each one simply looked different.

Tenshi took hold of her sword and focused. She'd needed some time to form the cloud cover, since she'd needed to make it look natural, but that was not a concern here, and within seconds, the clouds had vanished.

"There," Tenshi said. "Now I can join the fight."

She flew towards the battle.

* * *

The tengu reacted immediately. Shou and Nazrin would pull away from the battle and join Byakuren, so they were no longer Momiji's concern.

Momiji led the tengu in a fast, steep dive towards the second enemy force, attacking with gusts of wind as they closed. Then they struck, pulling up an instant later. They rose into the sky, then came around for another pass.

"Signal's given," Aloris said. "Okay, everyone, suits on and active. We're moving to position now."

* * *

"It's time," Laqara said. "Sunny, you ready?"

"Yep!" the sunlight fairy said.

"You sure you don't want any sound cancelling?" Luna asked.

"I'm sure," Laqara said. "An unnatural silence could give us away. We'll just not make any noise. That means silence from you three, understand?"

"Yeah," Sunny said.

"No, I said silence. Understand?"

Sunny thought for a moment, then got an 'ah-ha' look on her face and nodded. "Good," Laresa said. "Conceal us, then, and then let's get moving."

* * *

"Damn it, they're fast," Oros said. "They're ripping the second force apart."

"Tengu," Netese said. "It has to be."

"What the hell are tengu?"

"One of the many varieties of youkai that inhabit Gensokyo. This land has a much greater variety of inhabitants than Makai."

"Well, they're fast, and they're striking quickly and pulling out quickly."

"Estimate?"

"Our force is going to be badly depleted by the time it reaches the main battle. The 'tengu' force will lose its effectiveness when their targets are intermingled with their allies."

"Agreed," Netese said. "They'll likely join the battle themselves."

"You don't think they'll pull out and attack force three?"

"I don't," Netese said. "We can prepare the next force for such attacks, and they know it. They won't be able to pull that one off a second time." She turned to a messenger. "Signal the third force to come through. Get word to Mor and Alozel. When force three advances, they are to adopt an altered formation. Mor's force will spread out in the air above Alozel's and take responsibility for fending off any aerial attacks that occur during the advance. They are to revert to the planned formation when they reach the battle."

"How did they get their force in position?" Oros wondered as the messenger left through the portal. "The scouts above the clouds didn't see anything, so they had to've stayed within the clouds. But how did they find their way without sending someone out for a look? There weren't any magical markers or anything."

"They may just have somebody who can locate things," Netese said. "It's be simple to put someone in there with an object to guide the force into position. Remember, these people have quite a variety of abilities."

"True. Anyways, if the tengu force joins the battle when our force does, my estimate is that the numbers will be such that it won't alter the progress of the battle."

"And how is that going?"

"If what we've committed was our whole force, we'd be losing, but as things are, force three should turn the tide. Unless they ambush it just as effectively. Why aren't we committing everything at once? We'd overwhelm them easily."

"No," Netese said, "we wouldn't. Their ambushes would do far more damage against a larger force, as there'd be more people to hit. If we draw out their ambushes first, our casualties for the entire battle will be far less."

"Not for the opening forces."

"Those will take heavy losses, yes," Netese said, "but war demands such sacrifices."

* * *

"Force three is coming through," Hatate said.

"The tengu attack seems to be just as effective as we'd thought," Alice said, "but it won't work again. The third force will no doubt adopt a formation to defend against an aerial attack."

"Which is why we aren't trying another one," I said.

* * *

"Okay, Rin," Eirin said, "this one's stable."

Rin took the injured youkai away, delivering her to one of the other nurses. There were far too many seriously injured people for Eirin to treat, so she was doing only what truly required her and leaving the rest for the nurses. But even then, there were far too many. Byakuren was assisting, and her magic was a great help in keeping people alive for longer. And she could do some restoration as well. But there were still more critically injured people than could be saved.

Reisen came in with another wounded youkai and placed her down gently. "This one's bad," she said. "I did what I could, but she's beyond what I can do."

Eirin rushed over as Reisen flew off. _Yes, this is doable, and fairly quickly, too. This one will live._

* * *

The demon attempted an attack from behind, but Wriggle was viewing the battle through many different sets of eyes, and she blasted it without even turning around. "Mystia, I have a new target! Let's go!"

Mystia followed close behind Wriggle. Cirno and Rumia were elsewhere in the battle; splitting up allowed them to hit more targets, and they could always regroup if they found one that required all four of them, which they'd already done once to eliminate an enemy squad that had been targeting the more powerful members of Orphan's force. Directing them to a target was easy; she had only to speak through any insects near them. She hadn't quite been able to do that when she'd obtained the power of Nisus two weeks ago, but the ability had developed. She was fairly certain that her new abilities were now fully developed, although their scope was such that she was likely not yet aware of many of them. But she had more than enough for the current battle.

The pair reached their target quickly. Mystia struck first, channeling power into a diving attack that knocked the demon to the ground. Then Wriggle was there, and she sent it flying back up to Mystia, who spiked it into the ground. And then Wriggle impaled it with her spear.

* * *

"Our force and the tengu have joined the main battle," Oros said, "but the tengu aren't the only ones making this look easy."

"Who are you referring to?" Netese asked. "The people they have in the air harassing our scouts?"

"No. Those ones aren't exactly ripping through us, you know. Sure, having concealed scouts means that they can focus entirely on attacking ours, but if we can't find their scouts, then our escorts can focus entirely on defense. They're putting up a better fight up there than we are, sure, but they're hardly kicking the shit out of us. No, I was referring to people they have in the main battle. Two pairs that seem to be focusing on locating and destroying our more powerful warriors."

"We have squads doing the same thing, correct?"

"Yes, but not nearly as effectively as these two pairs. We're talking about four individuals who are clearly extremely powerful. Oh, and they're doing a much better job of finding targets than ours are. It almost looks like they're using the same trick I am, looking through the eyes of others."

"Gensokyo's magic cannot do that."

"Well, then they've found a different way to do it."

"They can do all they're capable of. Four people aren't enough to stop us." Netese turned to a messenger. "Signal force three to advance, then pass through the portal and signal force four to come through."

* * *

"They're on the move," Hatate said.

"Be ready, Kanako," I said. "Give the signal when I say."

* * *

The enemy was approaching.

Aloris motioned her team to take firing positions and ready their weapons, doing so herself as well. The weapons they had were fairly new. They were based on something from the outside world called a 'rocket launcher'. Nitori had made them, but only she really knew how they worked. Everyone else just knew how to use them. Nitori had combined the 'rocket launcher' with amplification similar to that of Marisa's mini-hakkero to produce what was essentially a magic cannon. Although they, unlike the mini-hakkero, didn't actually require magic; any power would do. The result wasn't as spectacular or destructive as a Master Spark, of course, but it did the job.

The weapons wouldn't be much good when the enemy force joined the battle, as there would be too much risk of hitting allies with the blasts, but against an approaching force, this wasn't an issue.

* * *

Laqara's team, at her signal, readied their weapons.

_We wait for the signal,_ Laqara thought, _then we strike._

* * *

"Now," I said.

* * *

"Another signal," Netese said. "Oros?"

"I don't see any am-what the hell?"

"What is it?"

"They just appeared out of nowhere," Oros said. "They're on either side of force three, and they're tearing into it with… well, with something. Some sort of weapon."

"Are they hitting the air cover?"

"Some of them," Oros said, "but most are hitting the main body. Wait, what the hell?"

"What?"

"They have two teams, one on either side of force three. But only one team is visible. The other's still hidden from sight. The effect has an effective range. I can see the blasts when they exit that range, but the people themselves I cannot."

"Two methods of concealment, then."

"But why?"

"Because they don't have enough of one method," Netese realized. "One method conceals an individual, and the other an area. But they only have so much of whatever they need for the individual method, and some of that probably went to their scouts. The area effect is them making up for their deficiency."

"So their weapons disrupt the individual effect, but not the area effect."

"And neither effect will work for an ambush again. We'll have the next force fire a danmaku spread around it as it advances. It won't do any actual damage to anything, but it'll hit any concealed people, and it won't drain the shooters noticeably."

"It's too bad we don't have enough people in the air to do the same with the enemy scouts," Oros remarked.

"True, but again, I'm not as concerned about what they see. After all, everything we're hiding is still in Makai."

* * *

"Down!"

Rumia ducked, and Cirno sent ice spears over her head, impaling the demon behind her. But the demon kept coming, so Rumia lept back up and ran it through with her sword. But that didn't stop it, either, and it plowed into her and pinned her to the ground. Rumia tried to throw it off, but this one was strong. And then, suddenly, it only had one arm.

Cirno dashed around to the other side and cut the demon's other arm off. Rumia threw it to the side, and then she and Cirno blasted it at point-blank range until it stopped moving.

"Down," Rumia said. "Do you have another target?"

They could hear Wriggle's voice clearly. _"East of your position."_

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Cirno remarked. "Come on, Rumia, let's go kick some more ass."

* * *

"Depleted," Nitori said as she lowered her weapon. The amplification she'd used required far less energy from the user than the mini-hakkero, but in exchange, it needed an extra energy source. This energy was built into the weapon and would replenish over time, but this was slow enough that once depleted, the weapon was done for the remainder of the battle.

Aloris had been aiming more carefully, and so she still had a couple shots left. She took them, then handed the weapon to Nitori along with her optical camouflage suit. "I'm out. That's all of us."

Nitori took the items and added them to the pile along with her own. Nitori and two others bundled the gear together, after which Nitori took off with the bundle, far too heavy for an ordinary human but not a problem for many youkai, and headed away from the battle. The gear wouldn't do any good now, and she wasn't about to risk it further.

* * *

"One of them's pulling out," Oros said, "and she's carrying a lot of stuff with her. Another's going the same from group that's still-wait, that group's not concealed anymore. That one's got far less stuff, though."

"Hiding won't benefit them now," Netese said. "They have no further need of the equipment, so they're pulling it out in order to avoid risking it needlessly. The other group has less because they concealed themselves differently."

* * *

Sunny kept herself, Luna, and Star hidden as the three of them sped away from the battle. But they didn't need to be quiet any longer, so they weren't. "Ha! Take that, stupid demon things!"

"We didn't do anything, Sunny," Star said.

"You didn't. I made everyone else invisible!"

"Yeah, sure, but you weren't the one attacking."

"Who cares?"

"Not you, apparently," Luna remarked.

"Apparently," Star agreed. "So we're done now, right?"

"No," Sunny said, "we're just pulling back. That Sanae person wants me to be ready to do something else."

* * *

"Their fourth force seems to be finished coming through," Hatate said.

"It would appear to be significantly larger than the others," I said. "Do you think this is their final force?"

Alice nodded. "Most likely, unless my size estimates were completely off. Which they could be, since Moscow was driven away prior to the arrival of some of their forces. I do believe this is indeed the final force, though. It is, as I expected, significantly larger, large enough that any of our previous ambushes wouldn't have done enough damage to it."

"Which is why there's a different one prepared for this force."

* * *

"Signal the force to advance," Netese ordered her messenger.

* * *

"They're moving," Hatate said.

"Suwako," I said, "go."

"Sure!" Suwako said. Then she, as I had been able to do when I had copied her powers, passed within the land beneath us.

* * *

They'd known how Suwako would be making her entrance, but even so, it was hard not to be startled when she emerged from the ceiling. "Okay," Suika remarked, "that looked really weird."

"Suika, Yuugi," Suwako said, "it's almost time. Are you ready?"

"You kiddin'?" Yuugi laughed. "Most of us are pissed we've had to wait for so long. The big force is on its way, I take it?"

Suwako nodded. "They're coming."

"Right, then." Yuugi turned around, facing the oni force that stretched back through the underground tunnel, the force she and Suika were at the head of. "Okay, people! Get ready, because we're about to strike!"

* * *

Aya Shameimaru flew above the portal to Makai.

Aya loved this 'optical camouflage' suit of Nitori's. It let her get really close to people without them knowing. When she thought of the pictures she could get with its help, she could barely suppress an excited giggle. She wasn't fond of working with Hatate, but this suit was worth it. Although Nitori would probably want it back. So she'd just have to come up with a way to keep it anyways. But that was a concern for later.

Being over the enemy leader was great, but the last force had just moved out. There wasn't anything interesting left. Unless…

Aya knew she couldn't be seen, but you didn't get the big scoop by being careless. So she waited for a chance, then took it.

* * *

"What the hell?"

"What is it, Hatate?" I asked.

"Aya's off the grid," Hatate said. "I can't get any of her pictures, even ones I've gotten earlier."

"Did they find her?" I asked.

"No. I'd still be able to get the older pictures. No, I think I know what happened."

"And what would that be?"

"Aya was one of those above the portal," Hatate said, "and I know her. She's reckless. When the last force began to move, she must have thought the portal site was boring. So she decided to sneak into enemy territory for a peak."

"She went to Makai," Kanako said with a sigh. "Typical."

"Your ability can't reach into other worlds, then," I said.

"Right," Hatate said. "We'll just have to hope she doesn't do anything even dumber."

* * *

The steps of single people, or even groups, didn't produce any noticeable effect, but a large force was another matter entirely. And Suwako had made some alterations to the composition of the earth between the chosen battlefield and the portal to Makai, alterations that made the effect easier for her to feel and pinpoint. Which meant that she knew where the advancing force was. So she knew when to begin.

Suwako had formed this tunnel during the past two weeks, a tunnel the oni used to hide under the ground. Now, Suwako pushed the earth above her aside, creating a passage to the surface. She stopped short of the surface, leaving enough to support the weight of people passing over it.

They waited.

"Okay," Suwako said eventually, "go… now!" She completed the passage, and the oni struck.

* * *

"Holy shit!"

"What is it, Oros?" Netese asked.

"I don't- um, they-"

"Out with it."

"Another ambush force," Oros said. "They came right out of the damn ground! There's no sign of them, then all of a sudden there's a hole in the ground in the middle of force four's formation! And the enemy's pouring out through it! And- and-"

"'And' what?"

"Even I recognize what type of youkai these are," Oros said. "The ambush force is entirely composed of oni."

"Oh."

"Yeah, they're ripping through our force like crazy. Why the hell haven't they been using these guys in the fighting from the start?"

"Because they wanted a strong force for an occasion such as this one. There were oni in the fight from the start, you said, but most they saved for this ambush."

"You think they'll do enough to give them the battle?"

"You're the one who can see the fight. But yes, I would expect just that outcome. But then, that's why we still have a surprise of our own prepared." She turned to a waiting messenger. "Go through and give the signal to advance."

* * *

"Aya's back," Hatate said. "I'm getting pictures from her again."

"Look at any she took in Makai," I said.

"Already working on-holy shit!"

Somehow, I didn't think that was a good sign. "Show me."

* * *

Yuugi took the body of a demon in each hand and swung them around, sending surrounding demons flying. She spun around, channeling the momentum into a toss of both bodies, knocking a line of demons to the ground. She charged forward and somersaulted along the line of knocked-down demons. Each time her hands were down, she grabbed any demons she was in contact with, and on the next flip, slammed them into the ground, on top of other demons if there were any close enough.

"Show-off." Suika punched a demon in the gut, sending it flying backwards and knocking several other demons to the ground. She increased her size and ripped a big chunk out of the ground, throwing it onto a bunch of enemies. She returned to normal size as soon as she'd done so; staying big made her far too easy of a target. As another demon charged her, she took a swig from her gourd, spewing fire on it as it closed.

"Having fun yet?" Yuugi called out.

"What do you think?" Suika replied. "What about you?"

"You kiddin'? This is the best fight we've had in centuries!" Yuugi faced a new group of demons. "Okay, who wants to be next? You guys? Okay. Bring it!"

* * *

"It would seem," Alice said, "that my estimations of the enemy force's size were somewhat low."

"There's an understatement," Suwako remarked. "Looks like they're already in formation, too. They likely won't stop after coming through; they'll march through in formation and head for us immediately."

"Oh, man," Hatate said, "this is bad. This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is-"

"Compose yourself," I said. "We haven't lost yet."

"Really? And just how the hell are we supposed to deal with a force that size? Especially now that we're out of surprises!"

"We still have something left," I said. "I've been holding something in reserve."

"Yeah," Suwako said, "but we weren't thinking of a force that large. Do you think it'll be enough?"

"I do," Kanako said, "but we'll need to time it very well."

"Um, what are you talking about?" Hatate asked.

"As I said," I replied, "we still have a little surprise left."

"And this'll really be enough to win?"

"If we do it right, I think so, yes. But do I know? No. I don't."

* * *

There was no waiting this time, no forming up after passing through the portal. The force, already in formation, advanced through the portal and straight towards the battle.

"I still think we should've attacked in mass like this sooner," Oros said.

"They would have done far more damage to us if we had," Netese said. "It's unlikely they would have won, but they would have actually had a better chance of doing so. But this way, we've already drawn out their ambushes. Our earlier forces took heavy casualties, yes, but as a whole, we lose far less people this way, and our victory is much more certain.

"They may have hurt us," Netese said, "but now, it's our turn."

* * *

**Yeah, not the longest chapter, I know, but don't worry; there's still plenty of battle to come. I'm just hoping it's good, since I always feel like I do fight scenes poorly. So anything anyone has to say about that would be most appreciated. And, of course, reviews of any kind are always welcome.**


	21. Chapter 21: Field of Battle

**Chapter 21  
**_Field of Battle_

"They're coming through," Hatate said, "and it doesn't look like they're stopping to form up on this side."

"They were already in formation," Alice said. "There's little reason for them to stop. They'll head straight for us, give us minimal time to react."

"Which means we need to act immediately," I said, and as I spoke, Suwako returned. "Suwako, good timing. Hatate, show her the pictures. We need to act now," I said as Hatate did so. "Go immediately, Suwako."

"Got it!" She passed into the ground again.

"That takes care of them," I said. "Now to notify the other one." I reached for the device Nitori had given me.

"_Sunny, can you hear me?_"

* * *

"Wah!" Star exclaimed. "What the heck was that?"

"Oh, Sanae gave me this." Sunny held up a small device. "She called it a 'communicatator' or something like that. It lets people talk even when they're far away from each other." She pressed the 'talk' button. "I can hear you."

"_Good. You remember what we talked about?_"

"Of course!"

"_Be ready, because we're going to need you to do it. You'll be able to sense the location, right?_"

"If it's what you say it is."

"_Good. Get into position as soon as you feel it. And, Sunny? Make sure you do this right._"

* * *

This time, the reaction Suwako got upon emerging from the ceiling was much milder, but then, Satori would have felt her mind as she approached. And Satori also, of course, knew exactly what Suwako was going to say. But Suwako spoke anyways; she wasn't as comfortable with having her mind read as Sanae was, and besides, there was another present.

"Looks like you're needed," Suwako said. Satori nodded, and Suwako turned to the other. "Are you ready?"

"Affirmative. Confirm readiness of area."

"You've got enough room," Suwako said. "How long will it take?"

"Estimated time to completion: five minutes, eleven-point-two-two-seven-four-five seconds."

"Right," Suwako said. She felt the location of the coming force through the land, just as she'd done before, and she was in time. She waited, but not for very long. "Okay, begin… now."

* * *

"No reaction from the enemy force," Oros said. "Odd. They surely have scouts above us. They have to know what's coming."

"They're waiting," Netese said. "When they signal their force to fall back, they want our force to be in sight. The order to fall back will be accepted much more readily if the reason for it is visible. I expect that it will come shortly."

* * *

"Okay," I said, looking at Hatate's photos, "it's time. The enemy force should be coming within sight of at least the frontmost of our force. Kanako, give the signal."

* * *

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Tenshi said to herself upon seeing the signal. "Really, Sanae? We're falling back?"

* * *

"Damn it," Tewi said. "Okay, everyone, we're falling back."

"Really?" Esi said. "Isn't this supposed to be a fight to the end or something?"

"That was the signal to fall back, so we fall back."

* * *

I spoke, and Kanako carried my voice on the wind.

"All forces, fall back immediately! We will regroup to meet the next attack, but first, we must regroup! Fall back!"

* * *

"I can't remember," Kaguya said. "Do we pull out now, or not?

"We don't," Mokou said. "The signal for us to pull out is different."

"But why? If everyone's retreating, then why are we staying?"

"It's not a retreat," Mokou said. "That was the signal to fall back. The difference is that a retreat is meant to end the battle, whereas this is not."

"But how can we win? You can see the new force as well as I can."

"I was never actually told," Mokou said, "but I think Orphan's got some sort of secret backup plan. I definitely got the idea that there's something she's been keeping secret."

* * *

"Damn it," Mystia said, "are we going to lose?"

"No," Wriggle said. "Sanae has a plan."

"She does?"

"Yes. Only herself, Kanako, Suwako, Seina, Alice, and the ones involved in its execution know about it."

"Then how do you?"

"It's hard to say something without me being able to hear it. Insects are everywhere, after all."

"Ah."

* * *

"_Cirno, Rumia, fall back!_"

"Wriggle!" Cirno said. "What's going on?"

"_We're pulling back temporarily. You've seen the huge force approaching, right?_"

"We have" Rumia said.

"_Sanae's got a secret plan to deal with it, and she's pulling everyone back so that we're all out of the way of what's about to happen._"

"Come on, Cirno," Rumia said. "Let's go. Wriggle, we'll meet up with you."

"_Agreed. I'll direct you._"

* * *

"Whoa," Sunny said.

"What?" Luna asked. "What is it?"

"It's started. I can feel it. I knew I'd sense it, but whoa. I guess Sanae was right about what this is. I've never been this close to one before, and this one may be nothing next to the real one, but it's good enough and I'm close enough that… well, whoa. Come on, let's get into position."

* * *

"They're pulling back," Oros said.

"Yes," Netese said. "They won't keep doing it, though. They will attempt to regroup and face our new attack."

"Why? They have to know they can't win."

"Actually, our victory is not a complete certainty even now. It would take a miracle for them to win, but it could happen, however unlikely it is. And remember, they are fighting in defense of their home. Some will abandon the fight, I'm sure, but others will not."

"Then they'll die."

"Most of them will, yes."

* * *

Suwako emerged from the ground. "It's underway."

"Good," I said. "Time?"

"She said it'd take five minutes and eleven seconds. That was a couple minutes ago. I timed it accordingly; it'll happen while the enemy is in the target area."

"Good."

* * *

Cirno and Rumia landed next to Wriggle and Mystia. "Okay, we're here," Cirno said. "What's going on?"

"The enemy's going to get a nasty surprise," Wriggle said, "but we can worry about that later. We have incoming."

"Incoming?" Rumia said.

"Yes. It spotted you as you flew past and began to pursue, but it's fairly slow, and you left it behind. It's still coming, though."

"Whatever," Cirno said. "We can take it, right?"

"Probably," Wriggle said, "but there's something… unsettling about this one."

"What do you mean?"

"Cirno, you remember the demon that attacked you at the lake, right? The one that kept coming even after you took out its eyes? And then when it showed up again with those others, it kept coming at me even after I took its head off?"

"Yeah."

"I remember," Rumia said, her voice cold.

"Well," Wriggle said, "I pretty thoroughly destroyed it, but… well, the demon that's approaching us looks just like it."

* * *

Malachi lacked a good view, but that happened when you were bringing up the rear. Not that she minded being in the back; this force would doubtless overwhelm the enemy, but there would be fighting, and there would be casualties. But it would not be the rearmost force that would see the brunt of it. And not only was Malachi's force newly inserted into the formation, but it was smaller than the others. Not enough to make a difference, not with a total number this large, but her force would likely have been the worst choice to lead the charge. _We'll still see a little action, though, I'm sure._

Malachi took hold of a medallion hanging from her neck. "Malachi. No issues with my force."

The nature of the magic was such that the 'voice' came directly to Malachi's mind. "_Confirmed_," Netese said. "_All force leaders report nominal status. Proceed with the advance._"

"Acknowledged," Malachi said. She released the medallion. _No surprises there. They're not supposed to have any ambushes left by now. The previous force was meant to look like a final attack in order to draw out anything left, and since it drew out something as dangerous as a horde of oni, I'd say it worked. They'd have held that in reserve if they could-_

The rumbling began suddenly. It took Malachi a few seconds to gather herself, and then she grasped the medallion again. "Netese, we're getting what seems to be an earthquake here. Confirm."

"_All leaders are reporting the same thing, but there is no effect at the portal. Oros was just telling me about it, too, and he says it's fairly localized. Assume it's not natural, and remain on guard._"

Before Malachi could confirm, the world in front of her burst into flame.

* * *

"Something's happening," Oros said. "The ground seems to be shaking."

"Shaking," Netese said. "An earthquake?"

"Not a natural one. It's fairly localized in an area underneath our force. There's no way it's natural."

"Any sign of a source?"

"No."

The reports from the leaders began coming in. "_We've got some kind of quake here_." "_Earthquake occurring. Likely unnatural._" "_Netese, we're getting what seems to be an earthquake here. Confirm._" "_Netese, we are experiencing an unexpected event, an earthquake._"

Netese took hold of her medallion. "All leaders are reporting the same thing, but there is no effect at the portal. Oros was just telling me about it, too, and he says it's fairly localized. Assume it's not natural, and remain on guard." She released the medallion. "Oros, any change?"

"No, I don't see any- _what the hell_?"

* * *

"Look away!" Sunny cried.

Luna and Star were already facing the other way. "We know!" Star replied. Fortunately, she didn't need to look in order to follow Sunny, since she could sense her location.

Sunny could feel it. She took position as it rose to the surface, and drew upon her power. As it broke through the ground, she began.

Sunny was a fairy of light, and was able to control it. But her power was limited, and under most circumstances, she couldn't have come anywhere close to what she was doing. But these weren't most circumstances. The object rising through the ground was not actually _the_ sun, but it was a sun. A lot smaller, yes, and weaker, but it was also much, much closer. Close enough that she could draw significant power from it.

Looking directly at the sun could be harmful to one's eyes. Not to Sunny's, but to most people's. And not instantly, not under normal circumstances, but again, this one was much closer than the real sun. So Sanae had asked Sunny to prevent this. "The small ones she's made before," Sanae had said, "haven't had that effect for whatever reason. I don't know why. There may be something slightly different about them, but I don't know. However, I'm told that she's never made one quite as large before, so there's a chance it will have that effect, which is a risk I don't want to take."

Sunny formed a field around it, a field that reflected the harmful light back into it. If one looked at it now, it would be just a bright object. "You can look now," she told her companions.

The other two fairies did so. "Whoa," Star said. "That's-whoa."

"Um, I don't like this," Luna said. "I don't like being so close to a… to that."

"Oh, right," Sunny said, "moon fairy. Well, sorry, but I have to stay here and keep this up."

"O-okay," Luna said. "I'll stay, too. But I still don't like it."

* * *

"Oros," Netese said, "what the hell is going on?"

"I-i-i-i-i-it's-it-it-it-"

Netese slapped him. "Get a hold of yourself!"

"Y-y-yes, ma'am, sorry, ma'am."

"Whatever. Tell me what's going on."

"I-i-it just came out of nowhere. I've never seen- how did they- it just-"

Another slap. "Focus, damn it! What happened!"

"I-it came up right through the middle of our force," Oros said. "Right in the middle. Just went right through them. Right through. Right through them."

Talking, Netese decided, wasn't doing much good. _Damn. I was really hoping I wouldn't need to do this, but…_ "Oros."

"Y-yes?"

"Show me."

* * *

Malachi's force, for the most part, was still alive. For now, at least. "Shit!" she exclaimed. "Everyone, reverse course! _Now!_"

As her force did so, one of her commanders fell into place beside her. "We're retreating?"

"Remains to be seen," Malachi said. "Right now, we're surviving. Look at that thing, Onkos. It's got a curvature. It's getting wider, and I'd rather not get caught in it as it rises. So yeah, we're backing the hell up." She took hold of her medallion. "Netese, what the hell is going on?"

* * *

Calling it 'unpleasant' would be a massive understatement.

Orso had enchanted the scouts' eyes such that he could look through them. What he was doing now was joining Netese's senses to his. This was different from the enchantment, which only the caster could use. By joining Netese's senses to his own, he could share what he was seeing with her. And that included what he saw through the enchantments. It was dangerous to do such a thing repeatedly or for extended periods of time, but there was no danger in doing it for brief periods. But that didn't make it a pleasant experience.

Netese broke away as soon as she finished looking and fought back her nausea. The unpleasantness, however, was not what was on her mind at that moment. "Well, then. It would seem as though they were holding a little something in reserve."

"We're screwed," Oros said. "It's over. We lost. We're done. We-"

"It's not over yet," Netese said. "You saw the same things I saw. The rear force, Malachi's, is almost completely intact, and Nouk's, on point, is also fairly intact. That's enough to give us the battle."

"Like hell it is! I don't care about the numbers! What the hell's stopping them from doing that again?"

"Something is. If they could have done it more than once, we would have seen it already. I would assume that it took time to prepare, time they know we won't let them have a second time. They won't try it again. And once our forces join the battle, they won't be able to hit us with another without hitting their own forces, anyways. We haven't lost yet, Oros. This is far from over."

Netese took hold of her medallion.

* * *

"_Malachi, Nouk, continue with the attack. Your forces can still give the battle to us._"

Malachi still had hold of her medallion. "Maybe in terms of numbers, but numbers aren't really the biggest factor right now. I don't care how good your force's morale is, it's not surviving something like a goddamn _star_ coming up into the middle of it. And the enemy's will have gotten a major boost."

"_I am aware of this, but morale can be swung back in our favor, and I already know how to do just that._"

"And how are you going to do it?"

"_It's time for me to enter the battle. You and Nouk press the charge. While you're doing so, I will seek out and eliminate the enemy's leader."_

* * *

Kanako once again carried my voice on the wind.

"All forces, cease falling back and engage! The enemy fell into our trap; advance and finish this battle!"

* * *

"That's more like it," Suika said. "Yuugi, you ready for some more ass-kicking?"

"Like you really have to ask?"

"Guess not," Suika said. "Okay, everyone, you heard the boss-lady! Attack!"

* * *

"Damn," Rumia said, "what the hell is that?"

"It's the hell raven, isn't it?" Cirno said. "I remember her. Stumbled into her… reactor, I think it was called. Not pleasant. Way too hot."

Wriggle nodded. "It's her. They had her hidden underground. When the big force made its move, they sent word down just like they did with the oni. Oh, our approaching friend should be arriving right… about… now."

Wriggle was right. "Well, hello there," the demon said as it landed in front of the quartet.

Wriggle stepped forward. "What business do you have with us?"

"Oh, I think you have a pretty good idea. You destroyed my shell, and I'm not exactly pleased about that."

"Okay," Cirno said, "what?"

"A shell," Wriggle said. "That explains a few things. It wasn't a person, just a body. You were controlling it from elsewhere. An interesting ability."

"That's right," the demon said. "And you destroyed it."

"I can certainly see the advantages it gave you. The thing kept coming even after I took its head off. And then when I removed the arm, that came after me instead of the rest of the body. That arm was you point of link with it, wasn't it?"

"Clever girl, aren't you? Yes, that's correct. And I'm not too pleased about what happened. Those are hard to make, you know."

"So you want revenge."

"Well, yes," the demon said, "but that's not the only thing there is to this. I've lost shells before, and each time, I've killed whoever destroyed it. And there's a practical reason for this. You see, a shell requires a starting point. I take a body and mold it accordingly. And what better body to use than one that has already proven superior to the old shell?"

"You intend to use my body for your new shell."

"I do."

Mystia leapt in front of Wriggle. "I won't let you touch her!"

"Well," the demon said, "that's entertaining. What about you other two? Aren't you going to leap to your friend's defense?"

"No need," Rumia said. "Wriggle could kick your ass like it was nothing. She's even stronger than we are, even now after the coil broke."

"After the… so you had a… and it sealed away your power? I thought that wasn't possible. Does explain the sudden power boost, though. Huh. Guess it was Otomone after all."

"Who the hell is Otomone?" Cirno said.

"A colleague of mine. He's the one who attacked your little group in the forest."

"Then you're right," Rumia said. "It was Otomone's fault. He's the one who damaged the coil."

"Huh. I guess we had some unforeseen side-effects."

"And just what does that mean?"

"Otomone had been altered in order to perform a specific task five years ago."

"Attacking the shrines," Wriggle said. "Disrupting the border."

"Oh, so you know about that. Well, yes, he was one of them. The change that allowed him to disrupt the border must have also disrupted your coil."

"That answers that question."

"Not that knowing will mean anything. I am about to kill you, after all." The demon ducked to the side, avoiding Wriggle's spear, which had been about to impale him from behind. "And don't think you can take me out that easily. The shell was weaker than I am, which is one reason I want to keep finding stronger bodies. You won't be able to win, bug."

Mystia stepped forward. "You just shut the hell up!" She glanced back. "Wriggle, stay back. I'll handle this."

"Mystia?"

"He wants to kill you. And use your body for one of his 'shells'. And that just pisses me off. I'll take care of him, Wriggle. I won't let him touch you."

Wriggle considered this. She could easily take the demon herself, of course, but it was clear that Mystia wanted this one. _Besides, I'm the one who called her my champion. I shouldn't tell her no when she's starting to act the part. I'll just intervene if she's in trouble._ "Very well, then."

The demon laughed. "Oh, so you want to go a round, birdie? Not the smartest decision. I wasn't even going to attack you, or you other two friends. You're not the ones I want. But if you're so willing to die for the bug, then I suppose I can oblige."

Mystia dashed in and struck the demon on the chest, knocking it back. But the demon reacted quickly, grabbing Mystia and dragging her along. Mystia gave it a burst of energy to the face and broke free, flipping over it and delivering a kick from behind. The demon took the hit, then spun around and lashed out with an energy whip, ensnaring Mystia's arm. Mystia tried another blast to the face, but the demon avoided it this time.

The demon pulled Mystia in, and Mystia let it. She built up energy and channeled it into a kick. The demon blocked, but it wasn't ready for such a forceful blow, and it staggered back from the hit. Taking advantage of this, Mystia broke free, leaping into the air and firing a beam. The demon went airborne to evade, but Mystia simply swept the beam after it. Then she fired another one directly in front of the demon, who flew right into it. Mystia converged the beams, blasting the demon to the ground.

_Yes,_ Wriggle thought, _good. The power does boost your physical abilities, but the power itself is a far greater advantage._

The demon shot upwards, directly towards Mystia. Mystia dodged to the side, but the demon released an explosion of energy as it past, knocking Mystia back. Mystia recovered quickly, releasing spheres of energy that homed in on the demon. The demon tried and failed to evade, and while it was distracted by the hits, Mystia closed in. She flew directly over the demon and fired a beam at point-blank range, once more sending the demon into the ground. Mystia kept the beam on it for a while, and by the time she ended it, the demon wasn't moving.

Mystia landed next to Wriggle. "I keep forgetting I can do stuff like that now."

"Not bad," Wriggle said.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I know you could've taken it out much more easily, but… well, the asshole just pissed me off."

"Not a problem," Wriggle said. "I kind of like the idea of you leaping to my defense. And you laughed when I called you my champion."

"I guess I did act the part, didn't I?"

"Yeah. Now come on. I've got new targets."

* * *

"Noi, right flank!"

The rabbit named Noi spun around and clubbed the demon that had been approaching him from behind. "Thanks, Tewi."

"Luck can't do everything," Tewi said. "You've got to pay at least some attention."

"Two more down!" Esi called out. "That's it for this team!"

"Excellent. Let's find ano-"

"Down!" Slei cried. But the warning was too late, and the stray blast scored a direct hit from behind. "Tewi!"

The blast sent Tewi into the ground. She skid to a halt, but not before impaling her leg on a fallen sword.

Tewi's team ran over to her. "Tewi," Noi said, "are you okay?"

"I've got a SWORD in my LEG. I think I'm going to go with: HELL NO, I'M NOT OK! Also, I think my left arm's broken."

"Yeah, stupid question." Noi picked Tewi up. "Come on, let's get you to Eirin. Everyone, form up!"

"I don't need the whole team," Tewi said. "Shit, that hurts!"

"Well, you're not just an ordinary team leader, now, are you? Did you really think we'd be taking chances with you?"

"I suppose you have a point. Ow."

"Besides," Oeis said, "_you_ took a stray blast. If that happens when you're here, how bad would our luck be without you?"

"Not even the best luck is foolproof. Besides, I'm the first casualty our team's had. I'd say that's pretty lu-DON'T move my arm like that!"

"I don't get it," Slei said. "She can still fly, can't she? Why exactly are we pulling her out? Shouldn't she just fly back on her own?"

"She's the big boss," Oeis said. "She has no business going off on her own during a battle. She really shouldn't even be in the front lines in the first place, but she's the boss. Keeping her from going off solo is hard enough."

"Right," Noi said, "enough chatter. Come on, Tewi, let's get you to Eirin."

* * *

"Reaction has continued for instructed duration," Utsuho said, her voice monotone. "Ending reaction."

"Good," Satori said. "Take it down, then let's get to Sanae."

* * *

"It's dissipating," Malachi said. "Onkos, take squads one through four. As soon as it's gone, head in there, find who's responsible for making the thing, and kill them."

"Um… are you sure we can? Anyone who can do that has to have a hell of a lot of power."

"It took time to make," Malachi said. "They won't be able to do it again; if they could, we'd have already seen it. Don't give whoever's responsible time to do it again. Get in there and kill them."

"Uh, yes, ma'am!"

* * *

Tenshi impaled a demon through the chest. Pulling her sword out, she spun around and took another demon's head off. "Yeah, nice try, but you can't-"

Another demon charged in from the side, and it was a big one. Fast, too. It slammed into Tenshi's side, sending her flying back. And that wasn't all; the crunch upon its impact was hard to mistake.

Tenshi got to her feet and tested her arm. "Ow." _Broken. Good thing it's not my sword arm._ "Okay," she said as the demon advanced towards her, "you're dead."

Tenshi leapt into the air, and an odd-shaped rock formed under her feet. Tenshi rode the keystone as it sped like a missile into the demon. As it hit, Tenshi leapt over the demon, spinning around and impaling it from behind. She let it fall to the ground as she tested her arm again. _Yeah, definitely broken. Well, it'll heal._

Tenshi charged back into the battle.

* * *

Nouk's force was waiting. "There you are," Nouk said. "Um, are you missing a few squads?"

"I detached them to deal with whoever made that star," Malachi said. "Killing whoever did that'll be another morale boost for our side. Our job is just to press the attack."

"But you're not going to, are you? Not personally, at least. You're planning to join up with Netese, am I right?"

"You do know me, don't you? Netese is right; killing Sanae will likely give us the battle. So Sanae has to die. Netese'll probably insist on an 'honorable fight', but I'm not risking this entire thing on a one-on-one. I'm going to aid her whether she likes it or not."

"I thought so. Tekeit, you're in command. Squad three comes with me; everyone else, proceed as planned."

"I thought you'd want to come," Malachi remarked. "Squad six, you're with us. We penetrate through the enemy and meet up with Netese. Everyone else, form up under Tekeit. Come on, Nouk, let's go."

* * *

"We have movement," Hatate said. "The survivors of the final force have rendezvoused, and are moving in as expected, but a small group has broken off. And is moving separately."

"What of Netese?" Alice said. "She was heading this way; is she still approaching?"

"Yes."

"She's coming for me," I said. "She knows she needs to change the morale around, and she's decided that killing me is the best way to do it. That group is likely coming for me, and Netese herself is coming to ensure that they succeed."

"_Not quite._"

"What the hell?" Seina exclaimed.

"I think that's Wriggle's voice, isn't it?" Suwako said.

"_Yes, this is Wriggle. I'm speaking to you through insects near you._"

"And you think I'm incorrect about the enemy's intentions," I said.

"_You're close. Two force leaders, Malachi and Nouk, are indeed heading for you. Netese is coming to kill you, and they intend to assist her; the small group they're with is simply to get them through the fighting to you. They expect that Netese won't want the help, though; they think she'll want to fight you one-on-one._"

"Hold on," Seina said. "How do you know this?"

"_My kind is everywhere._"

"Thank you for the information," I said. "All right, then. You're all coming with me. We'll go meet Netese head-on. If she wants to fight me alone, I will oblige her, but I want the rest of you there to make sure nobody else interferes."

"I'm not letting you fight alone," Kanako said. "I'm not going to risk losing you again."

"Then intervene only if necessary to keep me alive."

"…Fine."

"Thank you. Let's move."

* * *

_Damn it._ "He's gone," Eirin said.

Rin barely had time to remove the body before another was set down in its place. Eirin looked it over quickly. _Okay, this one I should be able to-_

"Eirin!"

Eirin looked up to see what looked like an entire battle team coming towards her. _No, that is a team. That's Tewi's-_

Eirin caught sight of the injured Tewi as the team landed. "Tewi! Are you all right?"

"Cut the stupid questions, will you?" Tewi said. "I've got a broken arm and a sword in my leg. I'M NOT ALL RIGHT, OK?"

"Right," Eirin said. "Nothing life-threatening. Take her to the nurses, then get back into the battle."

The rabbit named Oeis nodded. "Understood."

As they flew off, Eirin turned back to her current patient. _The nurses can take care of Tewi. I need to focus on this one._

* * *

I selected what I thought would be a decent location for this battle. Of course, being that we were in a desolate region, the only considerations were our various positions. I chose a spot to the side of the battle, far enough away that it wouldn't affect the fight.

I landed, with Kanako, Seina, and Alice behind me; Suwako had gone to head off Malachi and Nouk's group. The two leaders would likely leave the group behind to keep Suwako busy, but that was what I wanted; it would be much easier for Kanako and the others to keep just the two of them occupied. Power wasn't the issue, of course; it was a concern of numbers. Two people were much easier to keep busy than a larger group.

Netese arrived promptly, only one other with her. "So," she said, "we meet. Sanae, right?"

I stepped forward. "That's correct."

"I am Osira Netese."

Alice moved up beside me. "Netese."

"Alice Margatroid. I had hoped that Nekiei's ambush would kill you."

"I'm not at all sorry to disappoint. Nekiei got what she deserved; are you prepared for what you deserve?"

Netese laughed. "'What I deserve', hmm? Have you even thought about the reason for my actions?"

"Ambition seems likely," I said. "What I don't understand is why this war is necessary. You could have easily framed Shinki's death as Alice acting alone. Why all this?"

"You'll have to ask someone else. I'm not the one who presented Gensokyo as an enemy."

"Bullshit," Alice said. "But whatever. You are responsible for my mother's death. Why?"

"It was nothing personal, I assure you. Nothing against her, and nothing against you. It wasn't even because she held authority in Makai."

"Then why?"

"Not because she was the ruler of Makai. It was because she was the one who was the ruler of Makai."

"Stop with the riddles."

"Oh, there's no riddle," Netese said. "You see, your mother couldn't die. That's why I decided to kill her; she would otherwise continue to exist for eternity."

"Hold it," Seina said. "Are you saying you did it just to prove it could be done?"

"No. I don't care if someone cannot die. Unless, that is, the person in question is in a position of leadership. I acted to remove an immortal ruler, and I framed you specifically for it because I didn't want you replacing her. If you ascended to her state, you would become just as eternal as she was, and that would defeat the purpose of the entire thing."

"Why don't you want an immortal ruler?" Seina asked.

"No leader should be eternal. Leadership much change, but with her, it never would. Now it will."

"I don't think so," Alice said. "If she is dead, then I will ascend to the throne in her place. And I won't let you stop me."

"Oh, I'm not going to stop you," Netese said. "You're free to try. But you do need to reach the throne, do you not? I think you'll find that to be a difficult task. But no, I'm not here for you. I'm here for Sanae."

"As I suspected," I said. "You've come to kill me in hopes of turning the battle around."

"Correct. I must say, though, that I'm disappointed. I thought you might perhaps face me with honor."

"If by that you mean alone, I intend to. The others are here simply to ensure that nobody from your side interferes."

"Probably a good idea, actually," Netese said. "Malachi, at least, is likely to attempt to intervene, and I wouldn't be surprised if Nouk comes as well. Maybe Maorol, too; I think he's still alive."

"Right," I said. "Well, my allies will be sure to keep yours at bay."

"I want Maorol," Alice said. "He's the one who landed the killing blow on my mother."

"Sure," Kanako said.

"I didn't think you'd know that," Netese remarked.

"Nekiei mentioned it."

"I see."

"We'll leave that one to you, Alice," Seina said. "Sanae? Good luck."

* * *

"That's strange," Suika said. "Hey, Yuugi, you see that?" She pointed.

Yuugi and Suika were near the edge of the battlefield, and had seen a small number of people land a decent distance from it, too far away to make any of them out. "Yeah, I see it. Probably some big shots taking things into their own hands. Let's go."

"Go? You're leaving the fight?"

"Hell, no," Yuugi said. "There's a fight over there; you can bet on it. And probably some pretty tough people, too. Beating up all these guys is a blast, but I'd like a more challenging individual opponent."

"Suit yourself. I'm stayin' here."

"Then go nuts," Yuugi said.

* * *

"The enemy is coming," Satori said. "Clear a path, then we'll push through. No need to fight them all. Perhaps you can indeed take them, as you think, but this is a chance we do not need to take. Let us go."

Satori and Utsuho flew up, emerging from the very large hole Utsuho's sun had made as it rose. The enemy was waiting. The one in command-one named Onkos, according to thoughts from some of the others-had positioned his people well. They had taken positions around the sun as it dissipated, and now they were moving in, keeping Satori and Utsuho encircled in an attempt to prevent escape. They had people above, too; it would not be possible to escape without engaging at least a few of them.

"Follow me," Satori said. "Begin charging, and attack on my signal."

Satori moved, Utsuho behind her. "Get ready," Satori said as they neared the enemy. "Fire… now!"

"Mega Flare!"

Utsuho's beam blasted through the enemy, and since she'd had a chance to charge it, it was significantly wider.

"Good," Satori said. "Move!"

Utsuho ended her attack, and the two of them dashed through before the enemy could react.

* * *

"Damn it," Onkos muttered as he saw the targets escape. "I told Nekiei the target was too powerful, but did she listen? No, of course not. Yeah, maybe all of us would have been enough to take her, but if we grouped up, she'd just get away, so we had to spread out, so she ripped right through us, and…"

Onkos led the force back to the battle, muttering to himself all the way.

* * *

I struck.

I wielded my staff; Netese wielded an ornate sword. I swung in from the side, and she blocked the hit. I swung the other end of the staff around and hit her in the stomach. She responded with a kick to the chest. I took the hit and grabbed her leg, twisting it and sending her to the ground.

Netese pushed off the ground and flipped over me, aiming a strike at my head. I ducked to the side and thrust my staff up, catching her in the chest. She went with the force of the impact and rose higher into the air.

Netese held out her hand, and multiple thin beams shot out, surrounding me in a cage-like pattern. "The cage of entrapment," she said. "You cannot escape."

"Is this how you hold your victims in place while you have your way with them? I think you'll find it less effective here. The level of energy you're using is nothing I cannot break through."

Netese laughed. "I never said it was a cage for the body. Prison of Lust!"

The cage closed rapidly, but I erected a barrier of magic. The energy impressed itself upon the barrier, rather than upon me, and vanished with the barrier when I dropped it. "I never said it had to be. Energy is energy, whether it affects the body or the mind."

I attacked with a blast of flame. As Netese evaded, I took to the air and charged. She blocked the strike, but I sent a bolt of electricity into her, blasting her back. I fired spheres of energy at her, but she was able to avoid most of them as she charged in. She slashed with her sword, but blocking it was easy. She dropped below me, forming an odd-looking mass of energy in her hand. "Desire Drive!"

Netese launched the mass at me. As it came, it fanned out like a net, but this did not slow it. I tried to drop under it, but it changed course, and I was unable to react fast enough to block it before it hit me.

For a moment, nothing happened, but this didn't fool me. If there was no physical effect, there would no doubt be a mental effect, so I readied myself for one. And one indeed came. I felt certain urges, and quite strongly. I felt a desire to, um, engage in a certain activity. The desire wasn't directed towards anyone in particular; I wanted anyone, and badly. Thinking clearly was difficult. Extremely difficult. But not impossible.

Netese came up at me with a slash aimed at my neck. I brought my pole up to block it, then slammed it down on her head. She grabbed onto my leg, but some wind magic was sufficient to dislodge her. She dashed above me and attempted a kick to my head, but I dropped under it, grabbing her leg and throwing her downwards.

Netese righted herself well before hitting the ground. "How can you still… you should be overwhelmed by desire."

"Not quite," I said. "As you can tell, I am resisting it."

"Nobody's done that before. How can you?"

"I suppose none of your previous targets have had my level of discipline. That's all it is; discipline."

"Enough to resist my compulsions. Impressive. But no amount of discipline can hold them off forever."

* * *

Seina came in from behind Nouk and smacked him in the head with her gohei. The demon spun around, only to find himself blown into the ground by a strong gust of wind. "I don't think smacking him with a stick will work," Kanako said, "even if it is your gohei."

"Fine," Seina said. She spun and sent a gust of wind at the recovering Nouk.

Alice dropped a chunk of ice onto Malachi. Malachi managed to dash out of the way, only to get hit in the face by a blast of flame. "Not bad," Malachi said, "but not good enough."

"You do seem fairly durable," Alice said. She saw no reason not to engage in conversation; after all, the objective here was simply to keep anyone from assisting Netese, not to actually defeat them. And besides, there was something she wanted to know."

"Indeed I am," Malachi said. "There's a reason I took the lead when we fought Shinki."

"Why did you do it?" Alice asked. "Why did you want to kill her?"

"I didn't. She didn't matter to me either way. It just gave me an opportunity."

"An opportunity? An opportunity for what?"

"An opportunity to start a war," Malachi said. "Netese originally intended to frame things as Alice having acted alone, but I had other ideas. I wanted this, wanted the invasion of Gensokyo."

"Why?"

"Why? Look at it! All the different creatures, the different landscapes. The ties to Higan, the Netherworld, Heaven. The sun, the stars. Day and night. Weather. Seasons. All the things you have here! And then look at Makai! Just demons, no climate variations, everything's the same! Why should only you get the rich, varied world?"

"Jealousy."

Both turned to face the speaker. "Jealousy," Yuugi said. She advanced towards Malachi, and she was quite clearly pissed. "It's all about jealousy. You want this, you want that. I am _sick_ of jealousy."

"Jealousy? You think this is just about jealousy? This is about you, about all of you in Gensokyo, keeping this land to yourselves! We of Makai are just as deserving of such a land as you are!"

"Don't pretend you're not jealous," Yuugi said. "I know jealousy. I know more about it than I ever wanted to. It ruins lives, and yours has had far more wide-ranging effects."

"Oh, shut up! You're just dodging the issue! You have all of this, and we don't! You're the ones at fault here! You don't know what it's like, knowing this world is there but not being able to share in it! You don't know!"

"I know enough," Yuugi said. "I've seen more jealousy than I ever wanted to. For years, it has been ruining the life of someone I care deeply about. But yours, yours led you to seek war. So many people have died because of your jealousy. I _hate_ jealousy."

"You don't know a thing. You'll never know. Don't pretend you understand."

"I understand jealousy perfectly well. And I am absolutely sick of dealing with it. So you understand that I am going to _pound your fucking face in!_"

Yuugi charged, but Alice didn't watch the fight; her attention was directed elsewhere when another demon arrived. "That's a violent friend you have there," he said. "Alice Margatroid, correct? I've been wanting to meet you for quite some time. I am Maorol Olone."

"Maorol," Alice said. "You're the one who killed her."

"Yes, I am. And I'd like to finish her line off."

"And I'd like to pay you back for her death. But first, tell me: why? Why did you do it? Why are you a part of this?"

"Unification," Maorol said. "Everyone should have the same ruler. Much less potential for conflict. Fighting this battle now will prevent others from occuring in the future. But your mother was unwilling to take over Gensokyo. So she had to go. And you, obviously, oppose this as well, so you also have to go."

"Not happening," Alice said. "You're the one who's dying here."

"Yes, by all means, fight as best you can. We shall see who emerges victorious."

* * *

Yuugi punched Malachi in the gut, sending her flying back a ways. She fired on Yuugi, but the oni just charged right through the blasts. She grabbed Malachi, threw her into the ground, and punched her in the face. Then she picked her up by the neck and threw her into a boulder with enough force to send her through it.

Malachi recovered quickly enough to open fire again, but as before, Yuugi just charged through it. Malachi leapt to the side and grabbed Yuugi by the arm as she passed, attempting to throw her to the ground. Yuugi, however, took to the air, dragging the surprised Malachi up with her. Malachi let go, but Yuugi grabbed her before she could get away and slammed her back down into the ground.

"You're a tough one, aren't you?" Yuugi said as Malachi got to her feet.

"I am," Malachi said.

"Good. Means I can hit you a lot more." Yuugi pulled a boulder out of the ground and threw it at Malachi. Malachi dashed under it, only for Yuugi to slam into her and once more throw her to the ground.

* * *

Netese was right; I wouldn't be able to resist her indefinitely. Sooner or later, the desire would overcome my resistance. I could have used dispelling magic to remove the effect, but doing so would require a few seconds of concentration, which I knew Netese wouldn't let me have.

"Chains of Lust!"

Chains burst from the ground under me, attempting to ensnare me. I picked one and ran straight at it. I hit it with a blast of magic, destroying it and giving me an opening to escape. "You seem to be fond of the lust theme."

"Well, I am a succubus," Netese said. "It happens to be an area of expertise for my kind."

Netese launched a barrage of shots at me. A combination of evasion and barriers was enough to get me through easily, but I could tell that I was losing ground. It was becoming harder to focus, to think clearly. Since I had to focus on holding off the compulsion I had already been hit with, my performance in the battle was suffering. Before long, she would have the advantage, and I knew I wouldn't have a chance to rid myself of the compulsion. So I took a different approach.

I charged Netese, bringing my staff down in an overhead swing. Netese sidestepped the attack and struck with her own weapon, but I was able to bring mine back up in time to block. "How much longer can you last, Sanae?" Netese said. "Not very, I'd imagine. Soon, you'll either slip up against my power on your mind or slip up against me in battle."

"Maybe," I said, "but I think you're overlooking something."

Netese pressed against my block, attempting to break through it. "Oh, really? And just what would that be?"

"You're the nearest person," I said. And then I let the desire loose.

I ceased to act rationally. I leapt into Netese and grabbed her, pushing her to the ground and pinning her. She managed to get my arm with her sword, but the pain didn't register. And she knew why; she recognized the look in my eyes.

The lustful compulsion Netese had hit me with did not cause lust towards any specific person, just lust in general. But in my case, Netese was the only one present for that lust to target me towards. Allowing the built-up force of her compulsion to take over sent me into a lusting frenzy, ignoring everything else as I tried madly to have my way with her. She tried to throw me off, and would likely have succeeded under normal circumstances, but I was acting unencumbered by thought, acting purely on primal instinct, and she failed.

I didn't want to violate Netese, and fortunately, she reacted as I'd expected. After she failed to throw me off, she withdrew the compulsion, forcing me back to my senses. But I had kept track of my crazed self, and when the lust-driven madness ended, there was no pause needed to regain my bearings. Before she could act, I grabbed her head and slammed it into the ground. I repeated the action, then dealt blows to her arm, leg, and chest before jumping to my feet. I picked up her dropped sword and threw it away, then stood over her with my staff pointed at her throat, its head glowing with energy.

"Very… clever," Netese said. Then she spat out blood.

"It's over, Netese," I said. "You lost."

Netese managed to stagger to her feet, but just barely. "I'm not… ready… to give up… yet." She held out her hand, and her sword flew into it, which had the unintended effect of knocking her down again. "Damn it."

"You lost, Netese."

Netese managed again to return to her feet. She tried to ready her sword for a strike, but the shift in posture threw her off-balance, and she barely avoided falling down again. "Damn it."

"Netese, it's over. You lost."

She was silent for a moment. "You're right," she said eventually. "You won. I yield."

* * *

Suwako finished off the last of the demons she'd drawn away from Malachi and Nouk. _Time to get back to Sanae. I hope she and the others are doing all right._

Suwako sped off.

* * *

Seeing that the battle between myself and Netese had ended, Kanako and Seina disengaged from Nouk and landed on either side of me, a very worn-looking Nouk landing next to Netese. A moment later, Alice landed by me. "I see it's over," she said.

"Netese has yielded," I said. "How've you been doing?"

"Maorol did indeed decide to show up."

"I expected as much," Netese said. "And since you're here, I assume he's dead."

"Not dead," Alice said. "Unconscious, yes, and quite badly injured, but he'll live. There was no need to kill him."

"Unexpected," Netese said. "I thought you'd want to take the life of the one who did the same to your mother."

"He will die, I am certain, but not yet."

Netese gave a derisive laugh. "Don't tell me you intend to give him a 'fair trial'. Well, whatever. What of Malachi? Where is she?"

As if in answer, a demon came flying in from the side, hit the ground, and skid to a halt. "She pissed off an oni," Alice said. And sure enough, one came in after her.

"Yuugi," Alice said," stop! The fight's over!"

Yuugi stood still for a moment, then walked over to the rest of us. "Fine, but she better get what's coming to her. She pisses me off."

"And you gave her quite the beating, it would seem," Netese said.

"Oh, now who do we have here? You must be the enemy leader."

"Correct. I am Osira Netese."

"Why are we just talking to her?" Yuugi asked me.

"Netese has yielded," I said. "There's no need to kill her unless she creates one."

"I am an honorable warrior," Netese said. "I will stick to my decision to yield. What would you have happen now?"

"Um..."

"She's yielded to you, Sanae," Alice explained. "She's acknowledged you as the victor. That means she'll take whatever actions you tell her to in regards to resolving this conflict. That right passes to you, as the victor. It's an honor code that's common among Makai's warriors. Assuming, of course, that she's being genuine. Which I suspect she is. There may be a lot of things to dislike about her, but I do believe her to be honorable."

"She's lying to an entire population," Yuugi said. "Hardly seems 'honorable'."

"A different code of honor than that of the oni. Deception is not seen as inherently dishonorable, as long as you do not actually break any word you have given. Even killing my mother was simply her acting to her beliefs. That does not make it any less of a crime, though, or any less wrong."

"I see," I said. "So then, all we need to do is figure out how we want to conclude things? Fairly easy for Gensokyo, I think; Netese withdraws and does not attempt another attack. The situation in Makai, I think, is trickier."

"Yes," Alice said. "There will be civil war if this isn't handled very carefully. I think I know what to do, though." She turned to Netese. "Netese, you will withdraw your remaining forces from Gensokyo. Then you and your surviving commanders will come with me to the capital, where you will announce that you were fooled."

"I did not yield to you," Netese said. "You do not have the right to command me."

"You will do as she says," I instructed, which put an end to her objections. She didn't like it, that was clear, but as far as she was concerned, she had to do what I said, and so she did.

"Thank you, Sanae," Alice said. She then turned back to Netese. "In the capital, you will announce that you were fooled. You will present anyone still alive who was a part of your group as those who fooled you. You will say that they convinced you I was responsible for Shinki's death, when it was really them who were responsible."

Yuugi cut her off. "Hold it. Are you just letting her get away free?"

"No. Netese, you will reveal them as traitors, and they will be dealt with as such. You will say that I had nothing to do with my mother's death, and acknowledge me as the rightful ruler of Makai. You will then announce that as punishment for allowing yourself to be manipulated into a war with Gensokyo, you will be voluntarily exiling yourself from Makai.

"Once the announcement is made, you will accompany me to the throne of Pandemonium. I understand that I am likely to be attacked despite your presence and words, but you should be able to stop at least most of it, and certainly enough to enable me to reach the throne. Once I do, I will ascend to my mother's state of being and position as ruler of Makai.

"I am well aware that this will not be a bloodless affair. I fully expect acts of violence and rebellion against me, but this should at least prevent a true civil war. You will act as instructed by me to help resolve hostilities, beginning your exile as soon as I determine that there is nothing more you can accomplish in that area. Do you understand?"

Netese was silent, responding only with a nod.

"Hold on," Yuugi said, "that's it? That's all you're going to do to her? Make her go live somewhere else?"

"Make me leave my home forever," Netese said. "Force me to live in a land that hates me, that sees me and thinks of this battle, of everything that happened. Not to mention the fact that I acted in Makai's best interests."

"Acted in-"

"She believes what she did was for Makai's good, Yuugi," I said. "I can explain later. Stand down."

"Fine."

"I don't think you'll find all of Gensokyo unwelcoming," Alice said to Netese. "The Scarlet Devil Mansion is already home to one succubus; I think they'd have room for another. And the lady there isn't likely to be angry with you for what you did. If anything, she'd probably be impressed."

"Why," Yuugi asked, "are you helping her find a place to live?"

"Believe me, in many ways I would love to have her killed. But I will be taking my mother's place as ruler of Makai, and I must consider the entire realm. Allowing her to live will go a long way towards easing the transition."

"Whatever."

"Your people's ways are different, Yuugi," I said. "Allow Alice to handle this her way."

"Fine."

"Gooded." I turned back to Netese. "I believe the fighting has mostly stopped, but some likely remains. Let us announce your surrender."


	22. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_In the end, things went back to normal. Not the same as before, but still normal. It took some time, of course, but normality has a way of emerging intact._

_Alice left for Makai soon after Netese's force withdrew. I don't know precisely how things are in Makai, although the last I heard, the situation was stabilizing. I understand that Alice has been coming to Gensokyo frequently to consult with Byakuren; rumor has it that she's even created a portal between the Myouren Temple and Pandemonium for the purpose of these visits._

_Netese did indeed take up residence at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. I don't know much about that situation; she's never seen outside the mansion, and the other residents generally refuse to discuss that situation._

_The Lunarians remain at Eientei. I understand that Kaguya and Mokou are making significant progress in their relationship; last I saw her, Keine said that they were down to an average of one killing a week._

_Yuugi has visited a few times. She tells me that fighting in the underground city had been The last time Yuugi visited, she was accompanied by Parsee; I'm told that their relationship is going fairly well, although Yuugi says there are occasional jealousy-related issues._

_Despite the risks I had Utsuho take, Satori is much more friendly with me than she is with Kanako. I think it's because I actually went through her, whereas Kanako bypassed her entirely. Satori visits me fairly frequently; I think she likes having found a non-animal who isn't uncomfortable around her._

_Tenshi returned to heaven, where I understand her reception was less than enthusiastic. They did not approve of her participating in a war. She managed to talk them down, though, mainly thanks to the fact that she fought only in Gensokyo's defense. They still didn't like it, but I'm told there were no actions taken against her for her role. I spoke in her defense, too, which may have helped._

_The mountain hasn't changed much. The situation with Seina could have been very awkward, but it wasn't. I was her biological mother, yes, but the way she saw it, her parents were Kanako and Suwako. And that's fine, I think._

_Kanako and Suwako are still trying to gather as much faith as they can, and I think Kanako's a little irritated by how easily I can gather faith. Aya is continuing her usual 'reporting', and I'm told she's still trying to get one of Nitori's optical camouflage suits. Nitori, of course, is still tinkering with whatever contraption she's working on at the moment._

_As for me, I set up my shrine in the Forest of Magic; it seemed appropriate for me to reside there. I ended up taking in a magician youkai as my shrine maiden, which also seemed appropriate. I'm often visited by people who want me to give them power; Reimu's assistant, Nol, has been by multiple times. I haven't done it for anyone; there are so many ways doing such a thing could have unpleasant results._

_I don't use the name 'Orphan' anymore. Orphan was a woman searching for her lost past. Not that I have found it, that is no longer who I am. I'm someone different now, not Orphan and not who I was before losing my memory. I have not, though, taken on a new name; I may not be the same person I was before losing my memory, but I am still her, if that makes any sense._

_I am a descendant of a god, and one who became a god. I am one who found my way back to Gensokyo after being gone for five years. I am the one who led Gensokyo against Makai's attack. I am a god of magic._

_My name is Sanae Kochiya._

* * *

**And done. Sorry it took so long.**

**Let me just give a thank-you to everyone who read this, and a bigger one to anyone who submitted one or more reviews.**

**As for what's next, well, I already have another Touhou fic ready to write. It will be its own story, unrelated to this one or Broken World, although once again, some elements, particularly certain character pairings and backstories, are likely to show up again. I plan to call it 'Radiant Decay', and it will be up as soon as I get the first chapter written. I hope to see you all there.**


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